The Legend of the Spagthorpe
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From: Carl Paukstis
Speedy> Who is/was Spagthorpe and why is he so despised? (flame at 11:00)
Here's the spagthorpe lore (LONG, BIG, LOTS O STUFF follows):
===============================================================================
>From sasmjw 29 Jul 92 22:39:37 GMT
From: sasmjw@unx.sas.com (Martyn Wheeler)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 1)
Summary: It was hidden behind the Aerostar
Date: 29 Jul 92 22:39:37 GMT
What, me cage to the RCR? Surely you must be mistaken, Ed! I
know that a Ford Aerostar seemed to follow me around, and somehow my
Spagthorpe was always parked the other side where you couldn't see,
but *ME* drive a *VAN* to a *MOTORCYCLE* campground? Obviously you
need to know The Rest Of The Story:
The Scene: It is Friday, in a garage in Raleigh, NC. Someone
be-decked in a neon green Aerostich suit with hot pink accent panels
is bungying a six-pack of Newcastle Brown Ale to a piece of furniture.
As we come closer, we see that it is not in fact furniture, but a
motorcycle. The mistake is understandable: it is a Spagthorpe
Wolfhound.
I have always regretted that my father sold his old bike. The
Spagthorpe Whippet is legendary among enthusiasts, of course, for its
innovative engineering and inestimable character. I have been looking
for another one ever since I was old enough to spell "bike" and have
yet to see such a beast, although I have heard of several in various
stages of restoration. I am blessed, however, with a stable of not
one but several modern-era Spagthorpes, on one of which I would be
attending the Right Coast Ride.
Not many people are aware that the famous British marque was
revived in 1981 when Julian, Lord Spagthorpe, inherited his title at
the age of 24. A keen motorcyclist himself, he saw an opportunity to
inject some character into what was becoming a rather bland industry,
and started a manufacturing operation in Peter Tavy, Devonshire. His
bikes have certainly been distinctive, from the first model of the
Greyhound sportbike up until the present day.
For the ride, I had selected the 1985 Spagthorpe Wolfhound. Aimed
at the American market, it failed miserably owing to the lack of
dealerships, although I understand from my friend "Bulldog" that it
was fairly succesful in Zimbabwe.
The concept was to build a long-distance cruiser, and the emphasis
would be on low-end grunt and endurance rather than top speed. The
obvious engine configuration was a V-twin, so it was decided to take
the 347cc single from the Beagle, and join four of them on two meshed
crakshafts to produce what would be known as the 1400 W-4, although
the actual configuration was more like _|o|_, with the engine mounted
longitudinally in the frame. The desmodromic valves only required
adjustment every 3000 miles, but for all but the front cylinder even
checking clearances involved removing the engine from the frame, along
with the primary shaft which ran alongside the rear cylinder and drove
the separate transmission. This complexity may have been what
discouraged potential American dealers -- I can imagine Joe-Bob The
Motorcycle Mechanic's reaction to such a task! -- but for the owners
who persevered it was outweighed by the benefits of the machine. It
had shaft drive, liquid cooling, disc brakes operated solely by the
foot pedal with an ingenious "hydraulic computer" to handle balance,
four-speed automatic overdrive transmission, and many luxuries not
seen on bikes even today.
Anyway, enough of the bike...on to the ride. Well, sort of ... in
fact we had to start by going to Charlotte, where my wife Susan would
be overseeing the operation of the Timing and Scoring computers. The
computers would travel down in our Aerostar (oh! *that* must be where
you heard "Aerostar," Ed!), and Susan would stay in Charlotte for the
weekend while I trogged off into the Blue Ridge.
The trip from Raleigh to Charlotte was uneventful, so I'll spare
you that. We unloaded the computers at the speedway, and toodled off
to the motel where we collapsed for the night after a couple of beers.
On Saturday, we woke bright and early (well, early, anyway) only
to find that the van had lost 15psi in the left rear overnight. We'd
seen this failure mode before, on the front then, where a tyre just
lost pressure quickly with no visible damage. Anyway, the solution
would be to buy two new tyres. Ugh.
Susan *had* to be at the track, so we went anyway, hoping the
20psi would hold for long enough to get there at the 30-40mph we felt
was about as fast as we could take it safely.
It held. We got there. Both of us started work right away on
entering the data on the cars and drivers, and as soon as that was
complete I took on the unenviable task of finding tyres in an
unfamiliar town. I pulled the van over to the Bridgestone truck,
topped up the air, and left the speedway for a tour of the Queen City.
Western Auto: no Michelin XH4's in stock in that size, but the
computer shows two of their other locations do. Call them: they
don't, not in that size, sir.
Pep Boys: XA4's but no XH4's. Make mental note and go on.
Into Charlotte: pass Goodyear, Bridgestone, Yokohama, Firestone,
General. No Michelin.
Discover am leaving Charlotte. Turn round. Return to Charlotte.
By a weird streak of luck, I find I am in the real downtown area
at the intersection of Independence Blvd and 3rd Street. This is
lucky, because here is Kirby-Kale Tires. They don't have what I want,
either, but one phone call later the nice lady has found them at
another place and her husband is off in his car to collect them.
Marvellous place -- the sort of place that has the owners' home phone
numbers on the door in case you need them when they're closed.
To make a long (and hot) story short, I get the tyres (at a much
more reasonable price then I expected for a small business), and
return to the track. Say "Hi" to Susan, tell her I'm off to the
mountains, a mere 3-4 hours behind my schedule.
Oh well, at least I'm on the way now, and this is where the tale
of the RCR begins in earnest...
The Spagthorpe, of course, had been sitting in the sun since early
morning, but fortunately the seat is not black but tan, and was still
tolerable even though it was now well into the heat of the day.
I thumbed the starter, and was greeted with the unique rumble of
the W4 as it sprang into life at the first try -- fortunately good old
Julian didn't believe in Lucas electronics, and had gone to Bosch for
the wiring for his bikes, and for electronic ignition. I certainly
was glad I didn't have to try to kick-start the beast in this heat.
I retracted the electric/hydraulic centrestand, hooked the
selector into Reverse, and eased the bike around carefully. The
Wolfhound is well known for it's tendency to drop suddenly and
unpredictably while reversing, and it is best to keep one's left foot
on the ground through the manoeuvre -- the right foot, of course, is
operating the only brake lever. If you've never tried to keep a
Wolfhound upright while backing uphill, well, let me just say it's an
interesting experience.
The time had come to leave. Slipping the selector into Drive, I
eased on the throttle and rumbled out of the speedway onto NC-49.
The plan was to take 49 to I-85, then pick up Route 16 going north
through Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, and thence North Wilkesboro to
pick up 421, from which I had directions to the campground already
tucked into the map pocket of the fairing.
49 is boring. I-85 is boring. Fortunately, before long I had
turned off onto 16, which started out thoroughly unpromising but
improved rapidly.
Route 16 is full of small towns with low speed limits, and there
was not much traffic but what there was crawled along and turned off
quickly. At these speeds the Wolfhound loped along easily, always
ready for a quick roll-on to pass a recalcitrant cager. The scenery
passed by with plenty of time to enjoy it, the fairing deflected the
air around me forming a quiet calm pocket, and when I switched on the
air conditioning I might almost have thought I was in an Aerostar or
something. Eat your heart out, GoldWingers!
After a short stop for fuel and a co-cola, I managed to follow 16
through Newton and Conover -- not a trivial matter -- and rolled into
Taylorsville.
The road had been getting more interesting as I approached the
mountains, and the scenery had improved greatly by then -- but this is
where life in general started to get really exciting. As I rode past
an Amoco station, I saw a Harley and a sidecar rig pulled over behind
a Geo Metro. Not too unusual, but wait a minute! That was a *Virago*
with the sidecar. Aha! That's a Denizen for sure!
I made a quick U-turn and pulled into the parking lot. Closer
examination of the bikes showed that they had Alabama plates, and the
combination even had a DoD licence plate frame! Virago, sidecar, DoD
-- must be TheMoped!
Just then the bikers emerged from the convenience store, and
started towards their rides.
"Hi!" I said, "I only know one person with a Virago with a
sidecar."
"And who's that?" asked one of the ladies, suspiciously.
"Amy Swint."
"Well, that's me," she said with a bright smile, "And this is my
husband Swane, and this is Hilary. What are you riding?"
"Oh just that thing," I said, waving my hand in the direction of
the Spagthorpe, but someone had parked a Ford Aerostar in the way and
so all they saw was the van.
So, it was about 1:30 on Saturday, and four RCR people had met on
the road. You know, it's really neat when you can just introduce
yourself to someone you've never met before, but you know they'll be
interesting fun people, with interesting opinions. I like this.
They had been following 18 from the west, but there had been a
detour onto 16. Amy was planning to take 16 until they could pick up
on 18 again, then take that and follow the directions to the
campground from there. She seemed confident, so it seemed reasonable
to let her lead. She did warn me she was fairly slow, and that her
speedometer cable wasn't working, but I saw no problem with that. The
worst that could happen is we get lost, and in this countryside and
these roads that would be no hardship.
Amy started up TheMoped, Shane climbed on his Springer Softail,
and Hilary fired up the Geo convertible. I walked over to the
Wolfhound, and took off after the three up the road. My first group
ride with rec.motoists had begun.
[to be continued]
Martyn
--------------sasmjw@unx.sas.com----(Martyn Wheeler)----DoD #293--------------
SAS Institute, Inc: (919) 677-8000 ext.7954 H: (919) 839-0092 (Raleigh, NC)
For sale: Autodynamics Formula Vee: $2500 obo
"If you spin, you deserve to die" -- Mike Hawthorn
===============================================================================
>From sasmjw 3 Aug 92 18:53:34 GMT
From: sasmjw@unx.sas.com (Martyn Wheeler)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Summary: We went slower, and slower, and slower...
Date: 3 Aug 92 18:53:34 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
By the end of part 1 we had merged two groups of Denizens into
one, and this group was heading north on Rt.16. Amy Swint was leading
on TheMoped, her husband Swane was following on the Springer Softail,
Hilary Perkins was next in line in a Geo Metro Convertible, and I was
bringing up the rear on the Spagthorpe Wolfhound, except that some
idiot in a Ford Aerostar was right behind us and I'm sure every time
Hilary looked in her mirrors all she saw was the van.
About half a mile out of the Amoco in Taylorsville, I realised
that Amy had been right. She was slow. Some of this could be
attributed to the lack of a speedometer (how I love it when a
Spagthorpe is more reliable than a Yamaha!), some of it to the scenery
and the interesting road, and some of it to Amy being slow. :-)
The speed really didn't matter, though Swane was swinging from
side to side rather impatiently every time the road became twisty.
The further north we went, the twistier it became, and signs of
civilisation were left behind us to be replaced by fields, based
around small rivers gouging their way through steep valleys.
Frequently the road would be lined with tall banks of dirt with sparse
grass clinging to a bare existence, and we would lose sight of the
landscape for a while only to find it was even more spectacular when
the view cleared around the next corner.
We arrived at the intersection with Route 18, and Amy swung onto
it, apparently ignoring the sign that said:
ROAD CLOSED
MILES AHEAD
LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY
We all hoped that " miles ahead" meant "many miles ahead" and followed
her with only a little hesitation. I saw Swane glance at the sign
with a some trepidation.
Our progress slowed once we were on Rt.18. The countryside was
magnificent, and the houses were more infrequent -- it was no longer
certain that the river valleys were indeed being farmed. The road
itself twisted left and right, climbed hills, dived into valleys, and
became everything one could desire for a gentle cruise on a bike.
The main reason we slowed was that our leader slowed. The road
was winding enough now that TheMoped apparently wanted to take things
easy. For left-hand turns, Amy Slowed, but having the chair to help
in cornering; Swane looked impatient. For right-hand turns, Amy
*SLOWED*, not really wanting to lift the chair and be the first to
dump a bike on the RCR; Swane looked impatient but more sympathetic.
I can understand Amy's caution: imagine the arrival at the
campground: "Hey folks," we would say, "someone dropped their bike
already!" The assembled denizens would crowd around... Was that a
scratch on the perfect chrome of the Springer? No. Was the left
mirror on the Spagthorpe a little out of line? Yes, but it came from
the factory that way (bikes for a drive-on-the-left country had them
asymmetrical the other way). Perhaps, ha ha, the Geo Metro had blown
over? NOT! Hold on, Daughters of Democracy, what is this we see
here? A bent footpeg, cracked mirror, dented tank -- but surely not?
A three-wheeled vehicle is the most stable of all, and Amy *dropped*
it? The postings would rise to 400 a day, as she was berated on
rec.moto...
Let add right now, so that Amy does not get a reputation like Tom
Barber, AMY IS THE PERSON WHO DID NOT DROP A SIDECAR RIG ON THE RCR!
So we understood her slow progress. Anyway, it gave us more time
to look at the scenery...
I was beginning to regret my choice of the Wolfhound for these
roads. Although a very fine motorcycle, I must admit that when
Julian, Lord Spagthorpe, visualised a bike for the American market he
did not have in mind small twisting goat-trails over steep hills.
Between first and second gears, the shift is somewhat jerky, and more
and more often the automatic was deciding to do this while leaned over
in a turn. A much better choice for this section of the ride would
have been a late-model Doberman (not that any were imported into the
US, I believe) -- that particular model was test-ridden frequently on
the tight roads around the Peter Tavy facility, I gather; according to
Roger, an ex-neighbour of mine who was in the CID, the West Devon
Constabulary had become accustomed to the exhaust note, and made a
practice of looking somewhere else while the prototype, often with
Julian himself in the saddle, flew past them at quite unbelievable
speeds.
Ah, well, back to reality. I was not on a Spagthorpe Doberman,
and the Wolfhound beneath me was making it quite plain it Was Not
Built For This. I switched off the air conditioning, which was not
really needed in the cooler mountain air, and that helped greatly as
without having to strain against the accessory drive, the beast would
now mostly stay in second, and the only real problem was manoeuvring
the sheer bulk around the tight spots. I could still have gone faster
than Amy, though... :-)
So, on and on and on we went, enjoying the scenery, occasionally
meeting a ratty-looking pickup coming the other way at high speed,
apparently happy to run two wheels in the dirt to avoid having to slow
down...strange, but courteous -- they always gave us plenty of room.
Eventually, Beaver Creek Road appeared on our right. Amy slowed
down, turned onto it, and pulled over, fumbling at the directions.
Having checked the next stage of the trip, she pulled back on the
tarmac, and we headed down what can only be described as an awesome
road.
Almost any road in rural North Carolina that has a body of water
in the name is interesting. So we have Johnson Pond Road, West Lake
Road, Sunset Lake Road, and now to add to these, the finest of them
all: Beaver Creek Road.
Many of those who came from the North and East did not travel this
way, and missed out on the experience. I just can't do justice to it
in words. Even Amy sped up around the left handers, especially the
high-bank 270 degree downhill sweeper. We did our best to keep up --
although Swane was a master of the Springer and stayed close on
TheMoped's tail, Hilary's Geo and my Wolfhound were a little farther
behind. (I was, to be honest, finding the Spagthorpe's long wheelbase
a real pain.) Fortunately the right-handers were followed almost
invariably by left-handers, and for these it seemed that the method
for cornering TheMoped was to stop, look around, ease gently around in
first gear, then accelerate slowly. It was at this point that Amy did
not drop a sidecar rig on the RCR. Over the course of the road, it
must be said that the two largest vehicles did not exactly fall
behind.
All too soon Beaver Creek Road ended (although later Amy was to
say on several occasions that the road was sheer hell) and we took a
short mile hop on Rt.268 to Mount Pleasant Road. This was again full
of twisties, although not as fun as Beaver Creek, but was also full of
gravel in strange and unexpected places -- one of the beauties of
Beaver Creek Road had been the cleanliness of the surface.
Swane was quite clearly bored. Once we turned, he passed TheMoped
and sped off to enjoy the bends. We followed at TheMoped's pace, and
would always find the Springer Softail waiting another half-mile or so
down the road.
At the intersection with Mount Zion Road, we found Swane waiting
again. As soon as he saw we had made the turning, he took off into
the distance, using enough throttle for me to hear the pounding of the
Big Twin over the rumble of the W4 beneath me (a full 48cc larger than
the Harley!). We followed on as before.
Mt Zion Rd was quite different from the previous roads, it seemed
to me. A lot of the time it followed the floor of a river valley,
although rising and falling across promontaries. There was a more
personal feeling to the landscape, as if we were more part of it than
the sight-seers we had been before. The pace no longer seemed slow,
as we took time to feel the land around us.
Finally, Swane waited for us as Mt Zion Rd changed from paved to
dirt. We all took it easy at this point, and with a great deal of
caution (and a sense of relief) arrived at the High Country Cycle
camp at about 3 o'clock or so.
[to be continued...I would guess part 3 will be the last]
Martyn
--------------sasmjw@unx.sas.com----(Martyn Wheeler)----DoD #293--------------
SAS Institute, Inc: (919) 677-8000 ext.7954 H: (919) 839-0092 (Raleigh, NC)
For sale: Autodynamics Formula Vee: $2500 obo
Guzzisti without a Goose.
===============================================================================
>From dab 5 Aug 92 02:43:42 GMT
From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Summary: Long-lost land-speed record-attempter found at last...
Date: 5 Aug 92 02:43:42 GMT
Sender: news@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (News Manager)
For those who have forgotten, or never knew, in the weeks that followed the
ill-famed Bonneville disaster, things did not go well for Lord Julian
Spagthorpe. Edmond Fitzgerald, Peer of the Realm, Duke of Dunderwood, and
Jule's best mate resigned from the effort shortly after the Chronometer
Controversy stating simply, "They don't pay me enough to ride that thing,
Old Chap." The bike was to be returned to England via shipboard. But
through some as-yet-undetermined means, the Werewolf, the ONLY Werewolf,
fell overboard while traversing Lake Superior. It was thought to be lost
forever.
Coincident with the discovery of the Edmund Fitzgerald (no relation), as
chronicled on a National Geographic teevee special, the crate containing the
Werewolf was salvaged. Through a rather circuitous route, it has come into
the possession of a friend of mine (who MAY have traded some of his
Argentine Vincents for it, but can't pass up a "deal" when he sees one).
At any rate, the Werewolf, Land Speed Record Attempter, was the high
performance version of the Wolfhound. Few photographs remain. Needed are:
the chronometer (of course), right footpeg assembly parts #RFP14 - #RFP29,
and ALL of the nuts and bolts for the left side of the bike (Whitworth left
hand thread). It seems that the chronometer was destroyed in the original
"incident," the footpeg assembly damaged by the grappling hook during
recovery from the lakebed (see the PBS special), and the hardware by some
chowderhead that can't tell Whitworth from Woolworth intoning, "Lefty
loosey, righty tighty," as he destroyed all of the "wrong side of the
Atlantic, wrong side of the road, wrong side of the bike" hardware with
standard and metric wrenches.
Some Spagthorpe Poodle bolts and peg assembly pieces will also fit, I am
told. Email replies only, please. We wouldn't want this to get out. For
those interested, most of the engine internals are interchangable with early
AMC Nash Metropolitan parts, and much of the gearbox is Wilson pre-select.
--
"No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle." - Julian Spagthorpe
The Nashville Flash - dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu - DoD # 412
===============================================================================
>From brad 5 Aug 92 15:11:41 GMT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Message-ID:
Date: 5 Aug 92 15:11:41 GMT
dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash) writes:
>Spagthorpe. Edmond Fitzgerald, Peer of the Realm, Duke of Dunderwood, and
>Jule's best mate resigned from the effort shortly after the Chronometer
>Controversy stating simply, "They don't pay me enough to ride that thing,
There's a lot of myth surrounding Sir Fitzgerald's departure, but the
real story is the sort of thing that could only happen when European
aristocracy has a mind to take decisions on modern technology.
The problem, as I understand it, stems from the use of a pre-war
attempt to rationalize the Whitworth measurment scheme by decimalizing
in terms of furlongs. When Lord Julian attempted to adopt this after
the war for the UK market (hence the differnece between the various
Terriers), the Chronometer, for compatibility, was to be similarly
decimalized in terms of fortnights. Speed would then be determined by
how many bolts fell out per unit time and would be measured (of course)
in furlongs per fortnight.
One of Lord Julian's top engineers, however, was a Jewish refugee from
Germany. Chiam Pishtah, while a brilliant designer in his own right,
was really too much of a prima-donna to work on an international design
team and insisted, for religious reasons, on using cubits per moon. The
chronometer he fabricated for the Werewolf, while a marvel of engineering
at the time (it had, among other innovations, an unlimited-slip, bevel-gear
differential linkage), was an offense to British sensibilities and was
also virtually impossible to calibrate against existing speed records.
I discovered some of Pishtah's notes lining a hamster cage in Currey Mallet,
Somerset (and thereby hangs a tale as well). Subsequent searching at
the pub where these notes were found revealed quite a few design documents
on much of the Spagthorpe line. I would be happy to share these with
any other enthusiasts; send me email.
>through some as-yet-undetermined means, the Werewolf, the ONLY Werewolf,
>fell overboard while traversing Lake Superior. It was thought to be lost
The circumstances surrounding this incident are extremely mysterious, but
apparently had something to do with a storm warning, a bottle of Alsatian
wine, and a near-mutiny during the dog-watch. Does anyone know the real
story?
>and ALL of the nuts and bolts for the left side of the bike (Whitworth left
>hand thread). It seems that the chronometer was destroyed in the original
Right. This was part of the rationalization attempt. One experimental
version had a dual-die, dual-tapping system where bolts could actually
be tightened in either direction.
>Some Spagthorpe Poodle bolts and peg assembly pieces will also fit, I am
Careful on that. The later Poodles alternated right and left hand threads
on both sides of the bike. By the way, I have a line on a restorable
Poodle. Does anyone know where I can get the water guards for the front
fork and rear suspension? It's sort of a steel wool assembly that's
meant to trap water without increasing wind resistance.
Take care,
brad
"No hour of life spent riding to the hounds is ever wasted." -- Lord Julian
===============================================================================
>From markk 6 Aug 92 00:50:42 GMT
From: markk@tcs.com
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 6 Aug 92 00:50:42 GMT
Sender: news@tcsi.com
brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal) writes:
>dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash) writes:
>>and ALL of the nuts and bolts for the left side of the bike (Whitworth left
>>hand thread). It seems that the chronometer was destroyed in the original
>Right. This was part of the rationalization attempt. One experimental
>version had a dual-die, dual-tapping system where bolts could actually
>be tightened in either direction.
Neither the dual-die, dual-tapping system and Chiam Pishtah's patented
"Constant Torque Fastener" made it into production.
The "Constant Torque Fastener" consisted of a bolt with a hole drilled
through it. The outer threads were left hand thread while the hole
was threaded right hand. The mating nut and the bolt would be both
loosened and tightened with a turn of either in any direction
maintaining a constant preload. This system was intended for use on
axles and other bearings eliminating the need for cotter pins and the
like.
Both ideas were scrapped when it was realized that the oxy/acetylene
"spanner" used to remove these bolts would not fit in the tool bag.
- )V(ark)< [markk@tcs.com TCSI, Berkeley, CA USA]
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 5 Aug 92 13:46:38 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 5 Aug 92 13:46:38 GMT
Sender: news@ncar.ucar.edu (USENET Maintenance)
>From article <1992Aug5.024342.26969@vuse.vanderbilt.edu>,
by dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu
(The Nashville Flash):
> Some Spagthorpe Poodle bolts and peg assembly pieces will also fit
It is only vaguely possible that my late Uncle Crighton's Spagthorpe
"Terrier" has parts still usable condition. (This was the model, if you
recall, without the sidecar). I doubt that the Terrier and the Werewolf
have interchangable parts -- Uncle Crighton used to always say that you
couldn't even depend upon interchanging parts between Terriers of the
same model year -- but I can write my cousin Poindexter and find out.
I'm afraid all I have to go by is my Uncle's handwritten notes and some
old yellowed Spagthorpe ads he saved in a scrapbook. The owners manual
and the shop manual (if there ever was one) have been lost somewhere
at Uncle Crighton's farm (I've always suspected that they joined the
Sears catalog, before Poindexter had indoor plumbing installed;
Poindexter, that heathen, never appreciated motorcycling the way
Crighton and I did; still, Poindexter inherited the farm).
Sorry I can't be of more help.
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
>From brad 5 Aug 92 15:19:51 GMT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 5 Aug 92 15:19:51 GMT
jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan) writes:
>It is only vaguely possible that my late Uncle Crighton's Spagthorpe
>"Terrier" has parts still usable condition. (This was the model, if you
>recall, without the sidecar). I doubt that the Terrier and the Werewolf
That would be the early version of the UK delivered Terrier (the "Jack
Russel").
>have interchangable parts -- Uncle Crighton used to always say that you
>couldn't even depend upon interchanging parts between Terriers of the
>same model year -- but I can write my cousin Poindexter and find out.
Interchangability of the parts was not really that much of a problem.
Your uncle probably was struggling with different models. The one imported
to the US (the "F" designation, for Fox Terrier) used the unrationalized
Whitworth scheme. The sidecar model ("B" for Bull) was ultimately outlawed
unless fitted with a rev limiter.
The problem with finding parts is that the product line was so diversified,
the production runs tended to be very small. Quality control usually
involved canabalizing most of the run.
Take care,
brad
"Bugger that for a lark." -- Lord Julian, in _Dog Tyred_
===============================================================================
>From matthews 5 Aug 92 16:46:46 GMT
From: matthews@ajsh.colorado.edu (Alex Matthews)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 5 Aug 92 16:46:46 GMT
Sender: news@colorado.edu (The Daily Planet)
Thanks to all the people who sent me cordial email pointing out the error
in my previous post. The 1623cc Spagthorpe I mentioned was of course
the Mastiff, not the Great Dane as I so embarassingly said the first
time around. The Great Dane was a prototype that collapsed under its
own weight during centerstand testing at the Dunraven Proving Grounds,
with the loss of all hands. The project was abandoned soon after, and
the engineering records destroyed when the administrative offices were
burned during the labor unrest that marked the venture's final years.
Like pieces of the True Cross, parts of that Great Dane surface in
estate auctions and bankruptcy proceedings all over the civilized
world; but, like their religious counterpart, they are too large
and too numerous to be parts of the original bike. And the lack
of engineering drawings has been a thorn in the side of motorcycle
historians for years. Those of us who eagerly await a "second coming"
of the Spagthorpe will probably never know the rapture of laying
eyes on Julian's one missing creation.
--
-Alex Matthews (matthews@ajsh.colorado.edu)
DoD #0010
"It's too pure, too unrefined." - Lance Holst, August '91
===============================================================================
>From datasbld 5 Aug 92 15:44:19 GMT
From: datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 5 Aug 92 15:44:19 GMT
Sender: news@bnr.uk (News Administrator)
It's funny that you should ask. My late Grandfather's Sister-in-law was one
of the factory testers for dear old Julian Spagthorpe's Father. She and him
had quite a crush on one another, so I am told by my Uncle Bob. Of course,
they were both married and in those days you just didn't do _that_ sort of
thing, and nobody knew about it but my Uncle came across some old love-letters
hidden in an old Wilchester portmanteau that he had inherited from her which
gave away their guilty secret.
It seems that she donated five of her own personal machines (gifts from
Julian's Father, of course) to the Home Guard who had them painted in
camoufluage greens and installed MG mounts and headlight filters because of
the blackouts. Two of them were fitted with Swallow sidecars and short-wave
radios and and were used usually for the rapid transport of senior defence
coordination staff from bunker to bunker.
One of these machines was hit by a stray bomb from a Messerschmitt 110
returning from a strafing run over the nearby RADAR development works in
Pudleby-On-The-Marsh. The bike, rider and CDR Finchley GC, VC+bar, carrying
the details and one of the latest watercooled Klystron valves were all blown
apart by the blast. (A small stone cross by the side of the B403 marks the
site still. The Klystron, wrapped first in leather, coddled tightly between
two well-worn cricketing boxes and placed inside a metal case fashioned from
a Panther Sloper's Piston, managed to survive the blast and helped to save the
war. (Winston Churchill later gave it to the Americans when the secret of
RADAR was handed over to them so that they could give us a hand or two.))
The other three were ridden by the Home Guard Dispatch Corps. A hardy
collection of mainly ex-works racers who were all over the age of sixty. They
used to race back and forth with army despatches even in the thickest of air
raids. Often they were sent on long journeys, to Scotland, North Wales etc.
It was quite normal for them to run out of petrol and have to substitute any
suitable substance in order to get them to the nearest army camp: whisky,
paraffin, diesel/meths being a few of these. Thank goodness we're riding
Spagthorpes they would exhort. No other marque could take the kind of
punishment that these blokes could give them in the name of King and Country.
The automatic gearbox meant that they could ride along holding a rifle at the
same time and the heating (no air conditioning in those days) kept the riders
warm on those long lonely rides across bleak moors, lonely hills, deserted
dales, isolated Scottish and Welsh mountains and the ghostly flatlands towards
the east coast.
Three of these machines survived the war and now form part of my twice
removed cousin Adrian's collection at Trent Hall in Long Eaton. I know that
he has a large collection of spares as he is a fan of Spagthorpes and other W4
motorcycles such as the Drake-Severn and the Malvern Tug4W series. (Some of
the parts ARE interchangeable as the Vintage restorers at the hall often have
to swap and match in order to get the machines ready for various rallies
around The Isles. I think that they have displayed at Beaulieu as of late.)
Lord Adrian has about seven of the latest Spagthorpes along with about five
crates of spares so that he can pass on the machines to his heirs as working
and maintainable motorcycles. (Along with the Heskeths and Silks). He also is
able to get spare parts made as he has a small but serviceable machine-shop in
one of the unused stables - recently they produced a con-rod for the little-
known 1932 Rolls-Royce Flat-four 1800cc motorcycle tourer. Rolls produced
eighteen of these magnificent, albeit a trifle unweildly, machines as a bit of
an experiment in the early thirties when motorcycling was particularly
fashionable amongst the upper echelons of the Empire. Their downfall was that
they were too quiet and motorists could not hear them; after the Princess
Tattia of India was killed by an army lorry in Bombay, Rolls withdrew them and
because of various management changes never went back to producing motorcycles
again.
Anyway, I digress, I think I might be able to help you out with some of the
spares and certainly with the Whitworth left-habded thread nuts and bolts.
Also the spanners. Over here, we mainly use Whitworth threads, we get imported
machinery converted in special sheds at the dockside. This is one of the
reasons why foreign spare parts such as BMW and Harley parts are so expensive
over here, they all have to be converted.
Lord Adrian takes part in some rallies and runs, often within the auspices of
the All Party Parliamentary Motorcycle Club of which he was Technical
Secretary. I have a photograph with him on a Spagthorpe (a Wolfhound, I
believe) at the front of a large number of machines ridden by the afore-
mentioned APPMC with the Lord Chief Justice as his pillion wearing cricketing
leg shields and with a Harrods Picnic Hamper strapped to the rear carrier;
quite a sight! I will send him a telegraph, if you like, with your request
for the spare parts you require.
Nick (the Biker) DoD 1069
M'lud.
===============================================================================
>From cdw2t 5 Aug 92 19:18:05 GMT
From: cdw2t@dayhoff.med.Virginia.EDU (Clifford David Weston)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 5 Aug 92 19:18:05 GMT
Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild) writes:
>I have a photograph with him on a Spagthorpe (a Wolfhound, I
>believe) at the front of a large number of machines ridden by the afore-
>mentioned APPMC
i waited eagerly for this photograph to return from the developers, but for
naught: early prototype testing of the ford (of europe) aerostar minivan
was apparently in progress at this time, for one of the testpilots chanced
to drive by milord and his venerable Wolfhound just as the frame was snapped.
eerily, the disembodied head of julian, lord spagthorpe, appears through the
window of the van, giving the impression -- by the photo, at any rate -- that
he is driving an automobile. in the distant background, the hazy outline of
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Cliff Weston '92 Seca II (Tem) |
| DoD# 0598 [insert witty disclaimer here] |
| |
| "I love your post. Please don't stop." -- Lissa Shoun |
| |
| it is by far the best (apart from this fine organ, of course) -- Nick |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
>From warren 5 Aug 92 23:44:41 GMT
From: warren
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Date: 5 Aug 92 23:44:41 GMT
>>in a turn. A much better choice for this section of the ride would
>>have been a late-model Doberman (not that any were imported into the
>>US, I believe) -- that particular model was test-ridden frequently on
>
>Um, according to Lord Julian Spagthorpe's autobiography, _Dog Tyred_,
>I believe 13 Spagthorpe Dobermans were actually imported between 1953
>and 1947. They were marketed in the US as the Spagthorpe Poodle which
>may have had something to do with their obscurity.
>
>Take care,
>brad
Um, Brad, I can't believe you made this error. Martyn was not refering
to the original Doberman, but to the latter-day Doberman produced by the
Spagthorpe after Julian revived the marque in 1981.
These late model Dobermans were powered by a supercharged two-stroke
inline triple of 412 cm^3 displacement, and as you might imagine, they
did have a rather extraodinary engine note. Spagthorpe had plans
for a "street scrambler" dual-purpose version of the Doberman, but
these were shelved during a factory reorganization ca. 1984.
- Warren
===============================================================================
>From shafer 6 Aug 92 03:17:26 GMT
From: shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Date: 6 Aug 92 03:17:26 GMT
Sender: news@news.dfrf.nasa.gov (Usenet news)
On 05 Aug 92 23:44:41 GMT, warrenma@microsoft.com (Warren Marts) said:
WM> Um, Brad, I can't believe you made this error. Martyn was not refering
WM> to the original Doberman, but to the latter-day Doberman produced by the
WM> Spagthorpe after Julian revived the marque in 1981.
WM> These late model Dobermans were powered by a supercharged two-stroke
WM> inline triple of 412 cm^3 displacement, and as you might imagine, they
WM> did have a rather extraodinary engine note. Spagthorpe had plans
WM> for a "street scrambler" dual-purpose version of the Doberman, but
WM> these were shelved during a factory reorganization ca. 1984.
I believe that there was another dual-purpose version of the Doberman
that seems to have escaped everyone's notice. Perhaps no one else is
as interested in aircraft as am I?
Anyway, it's none the less interesting for being obscure. This
version had a airplane conversion kit. I believe it was known as the
Bird Dog, but that book is packed in a carton at the absolute bottom
of the stack off 44 cartons and I'm not going to look for it. As I
remember, this Bird Dog was a canard airplane. It had winglets and
twin verticals (on booms, of course). It had a very high aspect ratio
and was quite a nice-looking plane.
The aerodynamic surfaces were attached by a special system that the
book describes, succinctly, as indescribable. (Obviously the author
had not done as much research as wreck.moto posters have.) The
propellor was a rubberbandfan, with belt drive.
I believe that the first high speed taxi test ended badly when the
test pilot, Julian, leaned a little too far and dragged a wing tip.
In his surprise, he overcontrolled and slammed the other tip down,
managing to hook the winglet under the chase bike, an unmodified
Doberman. The Bird Dog then rotated up and around, ending up on its
back. The chase Doberman was also badly damaged. A truly sad day
in the annals of aviation.
Gravely disappointed by this setback, Julian scrapped the Bird Dog.
The chase Doberman was rebuilt as the dual-purpose street-scrambler
that you mention above.
Oh, yes, for you reggie-spotters, the tail number of the Bird Dog
was G-WOOF.
--
Mary Shafer DoD #0362 KotFR NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA
shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov Of course I don't speak for NASA
"A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all." Unknown US fighter pilot
===============================================================================
>From carlp Thu, 6 Aug 1992 20:48:20 GMT
From: carlp@frigg.isc-br.com (Carl Paukstis)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1992 20:48:20 GMT
shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes:
>On 05 Aug 92 23:44:41 GMT, warrenma@microsoft.com (Warren Marts) said:
>
>WM> did have a rather extraodinary engine note. Spagthorpe had plans
>WM> for a "street scrambler" dual-purpose version of the Doberman, but
>WM> these were shelved during a factory reorganization ca. 1984.
>
>I believe that there was another dual-purpose version of the Doberman
>that seems to have escaped everyone's notice. Perhaps no one else is
>as interested in aircraft as am I?
With deference to the Doberman and Mary's well-founded knowledge of
aircraft, the only _genuine_ dual-purpose wheels in the extensive
Spagthorpe kennel were from the two off-road bike series (Terriers
and Spaniels). While the Cocker was a genuine off-road-only machine,
the Brittany was a dual-purpose bike establishing traditions later
followed by lesser manufacturers. Despite the name and the obvious
quality, this machine never achieved much popularity within the Empire.
Although some found the W4 to be a bit heavy and unwieldly, the Brittany
saw great success as a messenger and dispatch machine with the
Lithuanian Army between the wars (some 12 units were in use, according
to my great-uncle Casmir, though any surviving examples were "lost".
Uncle Casmir believes the Russians stole them and reverse-engineered
the technology for use in the Zil limousines).
Of course, the Spaniel line's acme was the awe-inspiring "Springer",
which retrocatively inspired Mr. Wm. Davidson and partners on this
side of the pond. The front suspension was a Byzantine arrangement
which could only have sprung from the mind of Sir Julian himself, with
his well-known penchant for Turkish hashih. The friction from this
creative leaf-spring-and-94-links front suspension design, when used
in off-road riding and particularly competition, of course, generated
all the heat necessary for the early integrated heaters which debuted
in the Springer Spaniel's second year of production.
This heat-generation capability was discovered by original Team
Spagthorpe enduro rider, one Reginald deCodswollop, during the
fourth annual Pudleby-On-The-Marsh To Currey Mallet Endurance Race.
Reggie was mounted on a very early-production Springer, and while
negotiating a particularly rough bit of forest corduroy, his genuine
Spag-line chaps burst into flame at the shins, inspiring the
catch-phrase "flaming Codswollop". This was curiously linked
with the sensibility of anyone who would ride a 764-pound enduro
machine through the infamous Pudleby Marshes, but that's Reggie's
tale, and another story.
--
Carl Paukstis, RRR&RSG | "Good men must not obey the laws too well"
ISC-Bunker Ramo / Spokane, WA | -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Phone: +1 509 927-5439 |
Mail: carlp@frigg.isc-br.com | My employer accepts no responsibility...
===============================================================================
>From sasmjw 6 Aug 92 20:48:30 GMT
From: sasmjw@unx.sas.com (Martyn Wheeler)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wanted: Parts for Spagthorpe Werewolf (yes, THAT, Werewolf)
Date: 6 Aug 92 20:48:30 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
I'm afraid Brad is probably correct. It would be most unlikely that
Poodle parts would fit your friend's machine. Although the Terrier
that was, indirectly, the downfall of John's Uncle Crighton, was
presumably a UK model, the inconsistency of parts did I believe carry
over to the bikes produced for the US. If you really get desperate,
you should try contacting someone in New Zealand (where it was also
called the Poodle), as I understand from a school friend of mine
(whose father was a dentist from that country) that an entire
production run was exported there en masse and it is believed that
these particular bikes were of a quality well above that of the US
models.
I am not too clear on the part interchangability of the older
Spagthorpes with the more modern bikes -- I am more knowledgeable
about the post-'81 machines -- but you may want to search out Arthur
Treluggan's book _A Marque Reborn_ (translated from the Cornish by
Marion Russell, whose books are also well worth finding). According
to the landlord at the Fox & Hound, the book describes how Julian
started up the lines using some of the previous inventory and I think
you may find some clues as to alternate part numbers that may fit.
I also suspect that any parts in the Wolfhound would be too heavy.
What I would suggest is that if you can deduce the dimensions, you
could get Steve Andersen to make the part from carbon fibre, which I'm
sure would be in the spirit of the original.
So, is your friend going to let you attempt the Land Speed Record on
it? :-)
Martyn
--------------sasmjw@unx.sas.com----(Martyn Wheeler)----DoD #293--------------
SAS Institute, Inc: (919) 677-8000 ext.7954 H: (919) 839-0092 (Raleigh, NC)
For sale: Autodynamics Formula Vee: $1800 obo
"If you spin, you deserve to die" -- Mike Hawthorn
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 7 Aug 92 03:24:55 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe odyssey
Date: 7 Aug 92 03:24:55 GMT
Sender: news@ncar.ucar.edu (USENET Maintenance)
>From article <1992Aug7.022357.9407@sifon.cc.mcgill.ca>,
loki@nazgul.physics.mcgill.ca (Loki Jorgenson):
> I hope to hell that someone is getting all this Spagthorpe
> trivia written down!!
Indeed, this is the kind of material that my late Uncle Crighton would
have, ur, died for. I can only guess what lore was lost when the
infamous Poindexter, that weasel, inherited Uncle Crighton's farm
following the his untimely demise in the Combine Incident, as it's known
in those parts. Only a single scrapbook remains.
Be that as it may, in that one remaining scrapbook there are some very
yellowed Spagthrope advertisements. I was thinking of trying to analyze
the heraldic symbols on the Spagthrope coat of arms that was the firm's
logo in the ads. Can anyone recommend a good reference book? I'm
particularly puzzled by what appears to be a codpiece. Thanks.
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
===============================================================================
>From matthews 7 Aug 92 17:44:50 GMT
From: matthews@ajsh.colorado.edu (Alex Matthews)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe odyssey
Date: 7 Aug 92 17:44:50 GMT
Sender: news@colorado.edu (The Daily Planet)
jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan) writes:
>
>Be that as it may, in that one remaining scrapbook there are some very
>yellowed Spagthrope advertisements. I was thinking of trying to analyze
>the heraldic symbols on the Spagthrope coat of arms that was the firm's
>logo in the ads. Can anyone recommend a good reference book? I'm
>particularly puzzled by what appears to be a codpiece. Thanks.
By George, I think you've got it! I had heard that some of the adverts
were cocked-up in the printing, and if I'm right, what you have is
one of the rare existing examples of this error. What appears to be
a codpiece is, in fact, an upside-down rendition of Julian's pride
and joy, a moustache bra of his own invention. The hirsute lord
devised this appliance with nostril protection in mind, which indeed
makes it look like a more private accessory when you view it inverted.
(Unkind stories spread among the factory workers joke about a mishap
with this bra that allegedly sent the lord to the hospital with
minor brain damage from oxygen starvation, but there may be a grain
of truth in this - it may explain Julian's obsession with developing
a fully-submersible motorcycle for the Royal Navy).
So you might want to mount those yellowed pages with care, perhaps
sealing them in nitrogen gas and putting them in a mildew-free
environment. It might be amusing to mount a photo of a Spagthorpe
upside-down next to it, and see if people make the connection between
the "codpiece" and the stylized moustachios that comprise part of
the pinstripe detailing on every Spagthorpe motorcycle.
--
-Alex Matthews (matthews@ajsh.colorado.edu)
DoD #0010
"It's too pure, too unrefined." - Lance Holst, August '91
===============================================================================
>From bob 9 Aug 92 06:59:49 GMT
From: bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (bob pasker)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject:
Date: 9 Aug 92 06:59:49 GMT
, warkenti@CAE.Mitel.Com (BJ Warkentin) writes:
> While I'm sure that you and perhaps others find this a fascinating
> topic, worthy of detailed analysis and much thought, I fail to see its
> relevance in any way, shape, or form to motorcycles...
my good sir, have you never heard of the spaglethorpe apostrophe? it was
manufactured at spaglethorp bristol between july 1948 and september 1951. the
reason it was called an "apostrophe" is becuase it was a 350cc thumper. you
see, the apostrophe was a metaphor for the single piston. the 2 cylender 750
cc machine was christened the "quotation mark." it was the ad campaigns that
got everyone excited about it:
forget apostasy, the apothacary, and the appogiatura. feel yourself
riding right up there with the ascenders. you, leading the phrase, and
the little lady riding behind, perched just past the trailing
puncutation for a literal (or should we say "literary") blast
anyway, it was the pride and joy of many an anal-retentive english
schoolmaster until it was renamed the "comma," because so many of them
crashed. after that, it
was
all
down
hill.
--
-- bob pasker
-- bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us
--
===============================================================================
>From brad 10 Aug 92 23:09:21 GMT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Date: 10 Aug 92 23:09:21 GMT
warrenma@microsoft.com (Warren Marts) writes:
>Um, Brad, I can't believe you made this error. Martyn was not refering
>to the original Doberman, but to the latter-day Doberman produced by the
>Spagthorpe after Julian revived the marque in 1981.
Look, I really don't want to start this flame war up again; we just went
through it a few months ago. Perhaps this should go in the FAQ. There
are a lot of people out there who swear that the only true Spagthorpes
are those made after Pishtah's untimely death in the mid 70's in a freak
chain lubing incident. There are also those who believe that anything
made after Lord Julian gave up hash is about as much a Spagthorpe as
a riding crop is a Brogue Superior fork brace. I really don't care;
they're all fine bikes and I'll wave at anyone who rides one, OK?
Either Dobie would've been superior in the twisties to the Wolfhound,
as fine a mount as that is. Let's just let that sleeping thread lie.
Take care,
brad
===============================================================================
>From rich 11 Aug 92 03:12:33 GMT
From: rich@halluc.com (Rich Lawrence)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Right Coast Ride on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Date: 11 Aug 92 03:12:33 GMT
brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal) writes:
>warrenma@microsoft.com (Warren Marts) writes:
>>Um, Brad, I can't believe you made this error. Martyn was not refering
>>to the original Doberman, but to the latter-day Doberman produced by the
>>Spagthorpe after Julian revived the marque in 1981.
>
>Look, I really don't want to start this flame war up again; we just went
>through it a few months ago. Perhaps this should go in the FAQ. There
>are a lot of people out there who swear that the only true Spagthorpes
>are those made after Pishtah's untimely death in the mid 70's in a freak
What about the '72 Electric Blue Spag? Pish was involved in that one,
and it was the only bike of its kind, barring cheap American imitations.
You have to admit that 105hp at the wheel is a hell of an accomplishment
in a 300lb production bike, even if it did require flourine cooling and
handled like the lamentable limited Skye Terrier line of the late 60's
(which of course most of the fork and suspension technology came from).
Too bad most of these are wrapped around fire hydrants nowadays.
>a riding crop is a Brogue Superior fork brace. I really don't care;
>they're all fine bikes and I'll wave at anyone who rides one, OK?
Well, except for the late models after Spagthorpe's were REALLY
repackaged Italian brands. Remember the Canine? "Best of the breed", my
ass. Whoever thought of that ad should be shot.
>
--
Rich Lawrence - "Stinger" - DoD#9630 '92 Seca II - Buckaroo Banzai lives!
Sysop/Hallucination: Full UseNet,Fido,Relay, 2GB+ IBM/Amiga 1-703-425-5824
rich@halluc.com CI$:71101,2272 Fido:1:109/345 GEnie: R.LAWRENCE14
"I'm fine" - Data, in DataLore
===============================================================================
>From brad 10 Aug 92 23:28:37 GMT
From: brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe odyssey
Date: 10 Aug 92 23:28:37 GMT
loki@nazgul.physics.mcgill.ca (Loki Jorgenson) writes:
>trivia written down!! It will be a chilly day in Tiajuana when so
>much significant history is exchanged under one banner. It should
My goddess! This one of the most amazing instances of synchronicity
I've seen in a long time. I was down in Nuevo Laredo last weekend,
looking for a good price on a bottle of Tres Generaciones, and I still
can't believe what I found.
Coming up the steps after crossing the bridge, I was accosted by the usual
offers of diet pills and doctor's perscriptions. And then I heard a soft
voice say, "Spagthorpe." I couldn't believe my ears. He repeated it,
and against my better instincts, I followed. In a ramshackle, well, shack
out back of the Cadillac Bar, covered in straw, stood what has to be the
only surviving bike from the ill-fated production run of the Spagthorpe
Motor Compania Mexico, N.A.
This is the bike built on the lines of the old line Cocker Spaniel, but
with the modified, infamous 3/1-stoke, "Hammerhead" engine. The piston
is a double headed affair, with a combustion chamber at each horiazontally
opposed end. This was the two piston, four cylinder, 357 cc, dirt machine
that was so popular with bootleggers during prohibition and later with
drug runners. Dubbed the "Chiuaua," legend has it that the vibration on
this thing was so sever that it could actually shimmy over water, making
Rio Grande crossings ridiculously easy. In addition, it was rumored
to run on tequilla, allowing 'leggers to trade profit for distance when
being pursued.
We began negotiations over a bottle of Hornitos Reposada. I couldn't
believe the bugger was trying to negotiate in centavos, but we kept at
it, shot after shot, lime after lime. Despite knowing that I would
wake up the next morning with a hangover, almost assuredly in the
gutter, probably naked, and possibly with a headless Barbie doll with a
phone number scratched in the back, I managed to conclude the deal.
The bike is in terrible shape, and customs will no doubt dog me for a
long time, but I'm making this a project bike. Anyone know where I
can lay my hands on a T-joint piston rod and an ambidexterous wrist pin?
Take care,
brad
===============================================================================
>From kpm 11 Aug 92 22:58:20 GMT
From: kpm@druhi.ATT.COM (Kevin Malloy (DoD #106))
Subject: Re: RCR on a Spagthorpe (Part 2)
Date: 11 Aug 92 22:58:20 GMT
All this talk about the Spagthorpes reminded me of a tale my great aunt
Alexis N. Matthews(*) told me when I was but a young pup.
(*) Curiously, my family seems to be no relation to Alex Matthews, even
though my mother's maiden name is Matthews and we were both raised
in Maryland.
My Aunt was (I believe the story can be told now in the post-Cold War
era) an arms merchant in central Asia just after The Great War (WWII).
She showed me a faded black-and-white snap of the little-known
Apso-Spag, manufactured by the Tibetians in Lhasa. This 600lb monster
(including side-car) was based on a design that competed with the early
Cocker (code-named Collie) but canceled by Spagthorpe himself during a
corporate budget exercise. I believe the snapshot was taken during the
Lhasa-Katmandu Endurance race as Mt. K-2 is in the background.
The model pictured was itself a prototype, according to my great-aunt.
The production model was scheduled to begin manufacture the following
year, but, because of the Communist Chinese invasion, the factory was
retooled to build tri-wheeled tanks. The Chinese completely destroyed
the factory during the siege of Lhasa. One can still occasionally find
a set of vintage Whitworth tools for sale in the Lhasa central bazaar,
speculation is that they are occasionally unearthed by the nomads who
have established a llama farm collective on the site of the old A-S
factory.
This single-cylinder on/off road monster was a unique machine. The
Tibetians took the original (discarded) design and re-engineered it to
run on diesel fuels, more specifically cottonseed oil, of which was
plentiful at the time in Tibet. It is thought that the engine was
turbo-charged, because it performed well at altitudes of over 20k ft.
Also, because of the dramatic altitude changes in Tibet, the Apso-Spag
came equipped with an air-compressor to automatically adjust tire
pressure to changes in external air pressure (due to extreme changes in
altitude or temperature). [Experiments with non-pneumatic tires proved
unsatisfactory -- they tended to crack in extreme cold, melt in extreme
heat, and the test riders liked to mark up Lhasa's concrete streets
during stopping exercises.] Bamboo was heavily used in the manufacture
of the bike, as double-leaf springs in the seat, as tubing (for fuel
and for the coolant recirculation), as the shaft (this _was_ a shafty,
you know), and even as brake and clutch levers on the handle bars (one
had to wear gloves while riding, according to Auntie Alexis, the levers
wheren't highly polished and one could get splinters under one's
nails if one wasn't careful).
Too bad there are no remaining prototypes of the Apso-Spag. Perhaps,
if history had been just a bit different, the A-S would have proven to
be an inspiration to the Japanese bike manufactures, just as the
original Spagthorpe line tended to heavily influence the American
builders. We'll never know.
Geez, I'd forgotten about this story. Thanks to this thread, I've been
reminded. I'll be sure to share this story with my nephews (I have no
nieces) as Auntie Alexis shared it with me.
Cheers,
Kevin
Kevin Malloy kpm@druhi.att.com AT&T Bell Labs, Denver (303) 538-3511
633 E. 11th Ave. 1991 BMW K75RT
Denver, CO 80203 I'm voting _NO_ on Colorado DoD #106
(303) 830-2937 Constitutional Amendment #2, Nov 3rd!
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 11 Aug 92 18:53:32 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe
Date: 11 Aug 92 18:53:32 GMT
I've kept silent over the rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe flame war
currently errupting in the rec.motorcycles.secret.password.required
newsgroup, but this latest post forces me to respond.
>From car0xFF@druid.tpc.com:
]Sounds like you're saying that "Most spagthorpe types" don't have anything
]in common with the entire rest of the motorcycling community. Is that
]really true? If it is, how did we ever manage to create the "old ways"
]that made rec.moto so enjoyable and addicting in the past?
It has been claimed, with some legitimacy I think, that the "spagthorpe
types" (your term) really _don't_ have anything to do with the rest
of the motorcycling community. Even you must admit that Spagthorpes much
be judged by a different set of standards that those of any other
motorcycle marque. The usual metrics just don't apply.
]I also fall into the category of readers who "are not interested in
]the huge volume of stuff" in rec.moto. After seeing all the popular
]threads repeatedly for 7 years, I find that 99% of the postings are
]now "noise". The thing that has kept me hanging around this long is
]diversity. Every once in a while, we get the sort of article that only
]appears when many perspectives and topics are actively present. Those
]few have made my continued participation worth the effort.
Never the less, there is a substantial group of rec.moto readers that
now only read those articles that have "Spagthorpe" in the subject line.
I admit, I'm not quite there yet, but I'm finding that as time goes
by, I read less and less of the non-Spagthorpe related articles.
Having a spagthorpe group isn't exclusionary... anyone can participate.
It's merely a convenience for those interested in a particularly
legendary marque.
]Then those of us interested in both Spagthorpe and non-Spagthorpe topics
]and perspectives in the same forum won't have a "home". At this
]point, it looks pretty grim for those of us who fit this description.
]If the new group forms, it will serve as the forum for "Spagthorpe topics"
]and will further diminish those topics and perspectives in r.m. as
]the other two subgroups and the Spagthorpe list have done for their respective
]topics and perspectives. If it doesn't form, the self-imposed exile of
]"Spagthorpe types" from r.m will continue (with ad infinitum 6-month RFD
]replays) and will have the same net effect on r.m.
I admit that I have not voted one way or the other in the prior twenty
or so RFDs on rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe, but when the next one rolls
around I will feel compelled to make my vote for the creation of the
newsgroup.
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
===============================================================================
>From brady_p 11 Aug 92 19:56:16 GMT
From: brady_p@apollo.hp.com
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe
Date: 11 Aug 92 19:56:16 GMT
jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan) writes:
>
>of the motorcycling community. Even you must admit that Spagthorpes much
>be judged by a different set of standards that those of any other
>motorcycle marque. The usual metrics just don't apply.
^^^^^^^
Right. Spagthorpes used Whitworth spanners not metric ones... :-)
ObMotoBits: I just put a deposit down on a '92 CBR600F2. Now all I have to
do is find the cash in one of my accounts to pay for it...
--pete
===============================================================================
>From bob 11 Aug 92 20:29:28 GMT
From: bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (bob pasker)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe
Date: 11 Aug 92 20:29:28 GMT
, jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan) writes:
> I admit that I have not voted one way or the other in the prior twenty
> or so RFDs on rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe, but when the next one rolls
> around I will feel compelled to make my vote for the creation of the
> newsgroup.
its is my opinion that mr. sloan's decision to end his era of fence sitting is
directly attributable to his recent acquisition of none other than the biggest
dog in the spagthorpe kennel: the Husky-Doberman.
--
-- bob pasker
-- bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us
--
===============================================================================
>From davewi 12 Aug 92 20:21:40 GMT
From: davewi@orca.wv.tek.com (David Wise)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: rec.motorcycles.spagthorpe
Date: 12 Aug 92 20:21:40 GMT
Reply-To: davewi@soccer.wv.tek.com
bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (Bob Pasker) writes:
>its is my opinion that mr. sloan's decision to end his era of fence sitting is
>directly attributable to his recent acquisition of none other than the biggest
>dog in the spagthorpe kennel: the Husky-Doberman.
>
I thought that this honor went to the Wolfhound, which after all is
approximately the size and shape of a Ford Aerostar :-)
--
David Wise davewi@orca.wv.tek.com
DoD#427 1980 CX500C (Packy) Guzzi T3: coming soon to a DW near you
===============================================================================
>From tcox 14 Aug 92 15:40:10 GMT
From: tcox@netcom.netcom.com (Tom Cox)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Pug, the original minimalist motorcycle
Date: 14 Aug 92 15:40:10 GMT
Pug - The original Spagthorpe
With all the recent talk about the various Spagthorpe models, I
am surprised that no one has mentioned the original Spagthorpe,
the Pug. It is a relatively little-known motorcycle, so perhaps
it should not be surprising that no one else has heard of it.
It is, to be sure, one of the most fascinating episodes in the
history of motorcycling, both because of the remarkable design
of the machine itself, and of the incredible sequence of events
that took place that one fateful Sunday afternoon.
To truly understand the Pug, it is first necessary to understand
the men that built her. One must understand that in those days,
minimalism wasn't simply the right thing to do -- it wasn't even
a word. Nonetheless, it was a philosophy that the designers
understood all too well, particularly the chief designer, Hairy
Rasterhead. Minimalism was, for Hairy, an obsession. So much
so, in fact, that he could see no point in having different
names for his two main assistants, and so hired two very capable
engineers, both named Chuck. Although on some occasions, such
as when going into town on Saturday nights, he was heard to
introduce himself and his assistants thus: "Hi, I'm Hairy. This
is my helper, Chuck, and this is my other helper, Chuck.", he
generally just referred to the pair collectively as "Chuck".
But I digress.
Although there are no known remaining photographs of the Pug, if
indeed any were ever any taken, much about its design has since
been pieced together from several first hand descriptions that
were written at the time. The engine was apparently taken from
one of the early airplane engines, both having been built
sometime in the 1890's (the exact year is not known). The most
unique aspect of these engines was that, rather than the
cylinders being fixed to the frame, and the crank free to
rotate, the crank was attached to the frame, with the cylinders
free to rotate about the crank. The beauty of this system, as
it was applied to the Pug, is the way in which it facilitated
the most singularly simple drive mechanism that has ever been
conceived, before or since. The crank was attached to the frame
at the location where today the rear axle is found, at the end
of the rear fork, except there was no swing arm as such, it
being a rigid mount. (The frame itself was, however,
handcrafted of seasoned hickory, which offered some measure of
absorption of bumps.)
The two halves of the fork were set fairly wide apart, as was
necessary since the cylinders rotated in the space between them,
just as the rear wheel does in a modern motorcycle. The crank
had a single "throw", to which two pistons were connected via a
pair of very unique and ingenious connecting rods. It has been
reported that the rods were, curiously, manufactured from
military-spec eating utensils, with one forked and straddling
the other, permitting the two pistons to orbit in the same
plane, centered in the space between the rear forks. This
arrangement has variously been referred to as the "one forked
and straddling the other, permitting the pistons to orbit in the
same plane" arrangement, or the "missionary" arrangement, or,
more simply, the "humping-couple" arrangement. But I digress.
The two cylinders were opposed (180 degree offset) to one
another, and connected to each other via a rigid cast-iron
block, which rotated on two bearings on the crank, located at
either side of the crank throw, and each just inside the fork.
As the pressure in the combustion chamber increased, the pressure
against the head caused the cylinders to rotate as they pushed
away from the pistons, which rotated along with the cylinders,
but pulled away from the heads in doing so since the center of
their circle of rotation, the crank throw, was offset from the
center of rotation of the cylinders, the crank itself. On one
side of the cylinders a single magneto winding was attached, the
pulse being generated by a permanent magnet attached to the
crank. On the other side of the cylinders a small cam shaft was
connected to the crank via some gearing arrangement that caused
the cam to turn at precisely half the rate of the cylinders. It
is not known exactly how this was done, but it is believed that
this was the only toothed gear arrangement to be found anywhere
on the machine. A pair of exposed rods for each cylinder were
driven by this cam; these rods actuated the valves via a set of
rocker arms, also exposed. It is not known how the fuel tanks
were connected. There may have been a single tank attached to
the cylinders, but since this problem was also solved in the
airplane application, it can be assumed that it was solved here
in a similar fashion.
The wheel consisted of a forged iron ring bolted to the ends of
the cylinders, with two additional supports running from the
ring to the block, each centered between the two cylinders where
they connected to the inner surface of the ring. A solid layer
of hard rubber was then riveted to the metal ring. Here, then,
was the beauty and the elegance of the Pug design: neither chain
drive nor shaft drive, but *direct* drive. Simplicity defined,
pure and, well, simple. There was no shaft effect, and no chain
to rattle around, stretch, and generally make a nuisance of
itself. Neither before nor since has there been another design
so elegant and so, well, simple.
The diameter of the wheel was about half a meter; the
circumference about 1.6 meter. At about 400 rpm, the machine
reached its top speed of about 640 meters/minute, or 24 mph.
Due to the large moment of inertia of the rotating part of the
engine, it idled at 200 rpm. To start the bike, one simply ran
along side until the speed reached about 12 mph, at which it
point it would start and you simply jumped on. It was, to be
sure, the very of essence of simplicity.
Sadly, though, this was a machine well ahead of its time, and
did suffer from several minor technical difficulties. First of
all, there was the difficulty climbing hills. The engine itself
was actually capable of more power than could be used (on level
ground). The work required increased more rapidly with velocity
and rpm than did the power generated, so that above 400 rpm, the
incremental power required was greater than the incremental
power generated. It was consequently unable to climb hills with
slope greater than about 5 degrees, requiring the rider to
frequently dismount, run along with the bike for so long as it
would continue under its own power, and eventually push the bike
when it died as the slope became too steep. More serious than
this drawback, though, was the torque reaction problem. The
moment of inertia of the bike, about the crank, was very small,
due to the fact that most of the mass of the bike was contained
in the rear wheel. Even the feeble amount of torque generated
was enough to cause the front end of the bike to come off the
ground during modest acceleration. It was generally necessary
to build the speed up very slowly, taking it from 12 mph to 24
mph over a period of several minutes. Even without the weight
transfer of acceleration, the reaction to the engine torque
alone was sufficient to cause the weight on the front wheel to
be too small to generate sufficient steering force and stability.
The person who discovered the solution to this problem was,
remarkably enough, the test rider, Scratchin' Itches-Fetching
Ping Pong Balls (who was referred to by Hairy as simply
"Scratch"). Scratch took one look at the situation and
proclaimed, "If you turn that there wheel around the other way,
the torque reaction will reverse, transferring the weight to the
front wheel. Turn that there wheel around the other way." The
only problem with this was, of course, that the machine would
now run backwards, with the steered wheel following the power
wheel. This required the rider to turn around and face the
other direction, and steer the bike by reaching around his back.
This was a lot like steering a small boat with an outboard
motor; you had to move the steering arm in the direction
opposite to the direction that you wanted it to go, thus the
term "counter-steering" was born, although it is still generally
misunderstood even to this day.
The steering problem was partly solved by extending the
handlebars further, so that they came up along either side of
the rider. This limited the extent of the steering rotation,
though, but Scratch, being the resourceful dude that he was,
soon learned to increase the extent of the steering rotation by
leaning off to one side of the bike, a technique that he
referred to as "hanging off", and that is still practiced to
this very day by many of his modern disciples. The
reversed-direction solution worked fairly well, with only a
minimal amount of traction loss at the power wheel, which was
referred to as "torque steer". The only remaining significant
problem was that the trail of the steering wheel was now in the
wrong direction. This was solved by merely using a
near-vertical rake angle and a large amount of negative-positive
(positive-negative?) offset in the front (make that rear)
triple clamps.
And thus was the Spagthorpe Pug born. A truly remarkable
motorcycle, to be sure. Test runs went pretty well for the
first few weeks, consisting primarily of low-speed runs back
and forth to determine the handling characteristics. Scratch,
however, grew increasingly impatient to attempt to set a new
land speed record. Hairy and Chuck did some calculations and
were convinced that the engine would actually generate greater
power if only there were some way to get the rpm up higher.
Exactly what happened next is not clear. The few surviving
accounts of what happened that fateful Sunday afternoon disagree
to various degrees, but it seems that what happened went
something as follows. Once again, it was Scratch who had the
breakthrough idea. He realized that if the bike was ridden down
hill, the force of gravity would add to the acceleration
generated by the bike, causing it to go faster, which would
increase the rpm, and permit the engine to come into its power
band. So they pushed it to the top of a dirt road that wound up
the side of a mountain. And then they started to push it down,
and Scratch jumped on, and Hairy and Chuck stood and watched in
amazement at what happened next. The bike took off like nothing
they had ever seen before, accelerating even harder with every
incremental increase in speed. Faster and faster, reaching 30,
40, 50 mph and beyond, still accelerating. 60, 70, 80 even 90
mph, now shaking violently. The acceleration began slowing,
though, and gradually it hit 95 mph, and then slowly 100, 101,
and 102 mph. Chuck realized that Scratch was rapidly
approaching Dead Man's Curve, and they yelled at the top of
their lungs, while Hairy simply stood and watched in amazement,
completely dumbfounded. Scratch reached 103 mph, and then,
barely, 104.
Exactly why Scratch didn't make the curve isn't clear. Some
speculate that the excessive inertia in the wheel made it
impossible for the lean angle to be increased sufficiently fast.
Regardless, Scratch did miss the curve, and at the same instant
he went flying over the edge of the cliff, the Pug hit, yes, 105
mph, *ludicrous speed*. Nobody had ever reached ludicrous speed
before, much less stopped from ludicrous speed. The wheel and
crankshaft broke away from the bike frame, which went with
Scratch over the cliff.
The wheel and crank landed, amazingly enough, back in the road
further down the side of the mountain. Without the inertia and
weight of the frame and rider to resist rotation of the crank,
something totally unexpected happened. The rotation of the
wheel slowed down, and the crank began rotating furiously.
Hairy, Chuck, and Chuck had run as fast as they could down the
road, and when they caught up with the wheel, they found it
wedged between two large rocks, stationary, with the crankshaft
rotating furiously inside. Hairy took one look at it and
proclaimed, "Eureka! I have discovered the answer! The
cylinders can be attached to the frame, allowing the crank to
rotate, and the rotational motion of the crank then transmitted
to the wheel by ... something!"
As for Scratch, the last words that he was heard to utter as he
went flying over the cliff were largely incomprehensible; the
only word that Hairy and Chuck could recognize was "champion",
but they never figured out exactly what it meant. He was never
seen again, and no body was ever found. Curiously, his jacket
was found, even more curiously, with not a single scratch on it.
Many speculated that since no one had ever stopped from
ludicrous speed before, that it might be physically impossible
to stop. In retrospect, this logic seems questionable, since in
fact no one had ever even reached ludicrous speed before.
Hairy spent the last years of his life trying to perfect his new
invention, "shaft drive", as he called it. He was largely
confounded by the same basic problems of the direct drive
system. His oldest son Chian, however, after watching his
father lift his prototype frames countless times with a rope and
pulley, hit upon the idea of a flexible drive mechanism, where
the rope would be made from metal plates linked together with
pivoting pins running across to the opposite plate. Although
the proper spelling somehow got lost over the years, there can
be no doubt as to the origin of our modern "chain" drive.
As every story must have a moral, so must this one, although you
would never have guessed it. Since there is no way that you
could possibly have deduced it, I am obligated to spell it out:
in the end, what really matters is not *what* you ride; it's the
ride itself.
Cheers,
Tom
===============================================================================
>From Tanner 17 Aug 92 02:46:22 GMT
From: Tanner@Cerritos.EDU (Bruce Tanner)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles,rec.motorcycles.harley.spagthorpe
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe odyssey
Date: 17 Aug 92 02:46:22 GMT
, brad@cs.utexas.edu (Brad Blumenthal) writes:
> This was the two piston, four cylinder, 357 cc, dirt machine
> that was so popular with bootleggers during prohibition and later with
> drug runners. Dubbed the "Chiuaua," legend has it that the vibration on
I'm confused. Is this a local nickname, or is it another case of them
reusing a model name? The only Spagthorpe Chihuahua I know about was built
about 25 years ago under license in Italy (by Motoveta di Travitori? one of
those little manufacturers no longer in business) using most of the
original Chihuahua design, but never sold under the Spagthorpe or Chihuahua
name.
I say 'most' of the design because they could never get the original
3-cycle engine to work right, eventually devolving it to a 2-cycle plus
pedals for production purposes. The engine design is also why it was never
produced in England as part of the marque.
Anyway, it was never sold in Italy either. The Italians were the OEM for
what was sold in the USA as the (AMF) Harley Davidson M-50 Leggero. Over
4,000 of the 50cc (and later 65cc) machines were sold before Harley
Davidson got out of the moped business. And never a mention of Lord
Spagthorpe was made in any of the H-D literature.
-Bruce
--
Bruce Tanner (310) 860-2451 x 596 Tanner@Cerritos.EDU
Cerritos College Norwalk, CA DoD #0161 NOMAD #007
===============================================================================
>From dab 18 Aug 92 18:29:43 GMT
From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Werewolf, Mudvalve Problems
Date: 18 Aug 92 18:29:43 GMT
Whilst visiting my friend with the Werewolf the other night, he presented me
with a conundrum. The time that the bike spent at the bottom of the lake
has apparently caused some corrosion *inside* the mudvalve. As such, it
cannot be removed without first disassembling it. Conversely, it cannot be
disassembled without first removing it. Setting all Harley Davidson tools
aside, how does one go about approaching the cleaning and renewing of a
seized mudvalve?
Beyond that... does anyone have access to the factory literature or know
where copies can be had? Are there any NOS mudvalve kits or (God forbid)
complete mudvalve assemblies "out there?"
Please note that we DO have the necessary double-helix spanners as well as
the MV1 holder-fixture-jig assembly for when we get the damn thing loose.
Can anyone suggest a source for pootane gas?
--
"No hour of life is lost that is spent in the garage." - Julian Spagthorpe
The Nashville Flash - dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu - DoD # 412
===============================================================================
>From terry 12 Aug 92 21:37:16 GMT
From: terry@rsi.prc.com (Terry Cunningham)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: political correctness (was: Re: rec.moto.harley)
Date: 12 Aug 92 21:37:16 GMT
I really think that all this recent drivel about an obscure british
marque (the Spagthorpe) really belongs in a separate forum, and should
not otherwise burden the owners of non-Spagthorpe marques who want to
use this otherwise exemplary newsgroup!
Cast them down into their own purgatory I say. Let them bother us no
more with their w-4's and their air condintioning and their reverse
grear(s)!
--
| Terry Cunningham terry@rsi.prc.com | "Let me take my chances on the wall |
| DoD# 541 | of death" Richard Thompson |
===============================================================================
>From terry 12 Aug 92 21:47:38 GMT
From: terry@rsi.prc.com (Terry Cunningham)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: political correctness (was: Re: rec.moto.harley)
Date: 12 Aug 92 21:47:38 GMT
You know, I really must protest the discussion of that oustanding triumph
of british engineering, Spagthorpe motorcycles, in this common and vulgar
forum, rec.motorcycles.
Such a prestigious marque is certainly worthy if its' own newsgroup, and
I hereby propose a rec.apotheosis.Spagthorpe. Those individuals worthy
of the honor would be granted permission to peruse the newsgroup and
to submit articles in praise of said marque.
Sir Fortescue Stukehorn, CBE DoD DoReMi
--
| Terry Cunningham terry@rsi.prc.com | "Let me take my chances on the wall |
| DoD# 541 | of death" Richard Thompson |
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 17 Aug 92 22:20:45 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: GPNDG: Thoughts
Date: 17 Aug 92 22:20:45 GMT
From: article <1992Aug17.200511.23293@serval.net.wsu.edu>,
by johnsw@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu (William E. Johns):
> I want to thank all who helped, including Jeff Earls, Carl Paukstis, and
> my spy in Seattle. Carl deserved special thanks. His Spagthorpe St.
> Bernard (I had never seen one before, a real treat for me--he even took
:
I cannot believe that I've heard on the e-grapevine: that no one had
the presence of mind to take a photograph of the St. Bernard for Bruce
Tanner's digitized photo archives at cerritos.edu. Please tell me that
it's not true. I've very close to scrounging up an old photograph of my
Uncle Crighton roostering on his Spagthorpe Terrier out in one of his
fields. (I may have to twist cousin Poindexter's little slimey head off
to get it, though.)
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
===============================================================================
>From carlp Wed, 19 Aug 1992 18:12:27 GMT
From: carlp@frigg.isc-br.com (Carl Paukstis)
Subject: Re: GPNDG: Thoughts
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1992 18:12:27 GMT
jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan) writes:
>From article <1992Aug17.200511.23293@serval.net.wsu.edu>,
by johnsw@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu
(William E. Johns):
> :
>> I want to thank all who helped, including Jeff Earls, Carl Paukstis, and
>> my spy in Seattle. Carl deserved special thanks. His Spagthorpe St.
>> Bernard (I had never seen one before, a real treat for me--he even took
>
>I cannot believe that I've heard on the e-grapevine: that no one had
>the presence of mind to take a photograph of the St. Bernard for Bruce
>Tanner's digitized photo archives at cerritos.edu. Please tell me that
Well, I just got my photos back. Unfortunately, when I was taking a
picture of the St. Bernard (emphasis on the FIRST syllable, y'know),
somebody seems to have driven a Plymouth Voyager in between the camera
and the Spagthorpe...
--
Carl Paukstis, RRR&RSG | "Good men must not obey the laws too well"
ISC-Bunker Ramo / Spokane, WA | -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Phone: +1 509 927-5439 |
Mail: carlp@frigg.isc-br.com | My employer accepts no responsibility...
===============================================================================
>From jeq 19 Aug 92 21:27:04 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Popping them
Date: 19 Aug 92 21:27:04 GMT
datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild) writes:
>Yeah, but countersteering is almost impossible with the front wheel in the air,
>especially when you're trying to force yourself around another psychotically
>slow right-hander being pursued by a tailgating ex-Harley rider in a Porsche!
>I threw my steel-toe capped full length boot full of ball-bearings, sparking
>plugs and stones at him but, because he was drunk and using his car-phone he
>totally ignored me. Thank goodness I was riding a Spagthorpe WarDog, I just
>fired the multi-grenade launcher up and blew the bugger away!! :)
You can countersteer as long as the front wheel is still turning. (provided,
of course, that you are willing to acknowledge that gyroscopic precession
has some contribution to countersteering.) Of course, if you're
riding with the front wheel continously in the air, you need to keep it
spinning; hence the need for two wheel drive. (That's one of the reasons
that the Spagthorpe Desert Fox was such a hit after the war. The two wheel
drive was originally designed to handle the rigors of a desert battlefield.
The Desert Fox was essentially a modified WarDog, and can be easily
distinguished by the bodywork around the steering head that houses and protects
the complex train of gears, sprockets, and idlers that connect the
Desert Fox's front wheel to its forward gearbox. Knowing the inherent
efficiency loss in a shaft drive system, the Spagthorpe designers boldly
asserted that the Desert Fox would be an all chain drive machine.
The other distinguishing feature is the 18 gallon fuel tank; they reasoned
that a military vehicle with a desert mission would need an extensive range,
and the Desert Fox was said to be capable of 600 miles between refuelings.
Postwar, when ex-Royal Marines demonstrated the manueverability of the
Desert Fox with one wheel in the air, everybody wanted one. It's kind
of hard to resist a bike that can turn a doughnut and shower spectators
with gravel while reared back like a stallion. [One unconfirmed story
claims that Ferarri's famous rampant stallion logo came about when one
of the firms partners saw Enzo Ferrari demonstrating a standing 360 on
his Desert Fox. It went on to say that they had trouble convincing him
to spend time in cars after that...] It should also be noted that
a factory team of 4 Spagthorpe Desert Foxes were the only entrants to
complete the first (and last) annual Boulton-Dakar rally. Amidst complaints
from the other factory teams (there were no private entries; the equipment
requirements were just too costly), the origination point was moved to
Paris the following year. While several entries did make some distance
in the attempted channel crossing (most notably a Ducati which was estimated,
based on channel currents and the recovery site, to have travelled 300 meters
over water before floundering), the Desert Foxes were the only to complete
the crossing. (In fact, the team stopped to assist in rescue operations
for the other rally entrants before continuing on. The remainder of
the course is uncertain; some checkpoints were missed, and the team spent
some 45 days crossing the Italian Alps; as one of the team members was
stationed in Italy as a Marine during the war, it is theorized that the
time was spent reestablishing old relationships with the natives.)
But international racing is, like all international contests, a political
game; the Spagthorpes were far too technically advanced for the others to
compete, so by "unanimous agreement", the route of the race was
permanently changed. Since the Desert Fox's range and amphibious ability
were among it's main advantages, the removal of the channel crossing
and enforcement of checkpoint stops at regular (short) intervals lessened
the Fox's competetive edge, and when the original team all died of
syphillus in the span of a few months, thus ending the "Dream Team",
Lord Spagthorpe lost enthusiasm in the rally, and declared a moratorium
on competetive use of the Fox. He attempted to repurchase all the
civilian Foxes, and destroyed as many as he could get. Unconfirmed
rumours claim the tooling and design was sold to a small mideastern
government. The few remaining examples are highly prized by collectors,
and unfortunately are rarely available for inspection.)
--
Jonathan E. Quist INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
George Bush claims to have neglected domestic issues in favor of foreign policy.
Looking at Iraqi civilians, I'm glad we didn't have his full attention.
===============================================================================
>From jeq 19 Aug 92 17:57:15 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Werewolf, Mudvalve Problems
Date: 19 Aug 92 17:57:15 GMT
dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash) writes:
>Whilst visiting my friend with the Werewolf the other night, he presented me
>with a conundrum. The time that the bike spent at the bottom of the lake
Was that a latex, or natural skin conundrum?
>has apparently caused some corrosion *inside* the mudvalve. As such, it
>cannot be removed without first disassembling it. Conversely, it cannot be
>disassembled without first removing it. Setting all Harley Davidson tools
>aside, how does one go about approaching the cleaning and renewing of a
>seized mudvalve?
Depending upon the position of the valve parts, it may be relatively
simple. First, call in a local large animal veterinarian - he or she
will have portable X-ray equipment. You should be able to determine
the position of the valve from the picture. If it's partially open,
you may be in luck. Drill a 3/45" Whitworth hole on the side of the
valve housing, slightly above the valve flapper. Fish a hose in
the side, and drip a little oxalic acid on the bushing flange. Wait
a few minutes, then rinse with a high-pressure water stream. The
valve should now be free enough to remove it as per normal procedures.
Once you have disassembled the valve, you can patch the hole with
a MIG welder. (If you don't have one, you can order one from
the Mikoyan factory.)
Caution: This procedure is safe on most Werewolves. Unfortunately,
the first 5 production models had investment cast bronze bushing flange
attachment fittings. (When the Scottish machinist in charge of making
the flange attachment fittings discovered that "investment casting" did
_not_ mean more pay, a general strike ensued, nearly ending Lord
Spagthorpe's dream. The engineering staff was ordered to find a solution.
Realizing that the flange attachment fittings in the prototype were, in
fact, stepper switch insulators from an automated telephone switch,
an agreement was reached with the manufacturers, and subsequent production
models had flange attachment fittings made of Bakelite. The strike was
quelled when the machinist was promoted to senior accounting officer.
Being a Scot, he insisted that the first five bronze fittings be installed
on production bikes, rather than wastefully discard them.) At any rate,
if you happen to have one of the first 5, the acid treatment will permanently
fuse the mudvalve, and you'll be left with a non-running museum piece.
To determine if this is in fact the case, open the valve and inspect
the fittings. Since you have the unenviable position of having a frozen
valve, take the bike to your local gynecologist's, after drilling two more
holes in the valve housing, and have the doctor perform a laproscopic
examination of the valve. If you have the Bakelite fittings, proceed
as above. If you have the cast fittings, measure the housing as carefully
as possible, and produce a replica. The X-ray photos should help in this.
Then get a large slide hammer, and a cutting torch, and have at it.
Whatever you do, _don't_ damage the cast fittings! If you do, the machine
will lose much of its collector value. In fact, if you must, cut away
everything but the fittings, have them mounted on tie-tack posts, and take
them to the Spagthorpe Enthusiast's tent at the Isle of Man, and sell them.
They're worth much more alone than with the complete Werewolf. Sad but true.
>Beyond that... does anyone have access to the factory literature or know
>where copies can be had? Are there any NOS mudvalve kits or (God forbid)
>complete mudvalve assemblies "out there?"
I haven't heard of any Nitrous-Oxide-Semiconductor parts for any Spagthorpes.
>Please note that we DO have the necessary double-helix spanners as well as
>the MV1 holder-fixture-jig assembly for when we get the damn thing loose.
>Can anyone suggest a source for pootane gas?
Yes. Get a disposable butane lighter, and stick it up...
--
Jonathan E. Quist INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
So just where did George Bush get the idea that he gets to
decide policy for the U.N.?
===============================================================================
>From shoun 20 Aug 92 06:43:29 GMT
From: shoun@netcom.com (Lissa Shoun)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Warning! "Fuck" and "Shit" appear in this article
Date: 20 Aug 92 06:43:29 GMT
I almost forgot to ask my question. I'm trying to decide what horn to get.
Everyone seems to have Fiamms but I was wondering about Spagthorpe
Electronics. The two most suitable horns for a bike are the Spagthorpe
Conure and the Cockatoo. Does anyone know which is louder? And is there
any mail order supply for these horns? Road Rider is out of stock and
they don't know when they will be getting any.
"Nothing is as overrated as a bad ride, or as underrated as a good post."
--
Lissa
shoun@netcom.com (408) 926-0812
===============================================================================
>From cdw2t 20 Aug 92 16:29:52 GMT
From: cdw2t@dayhoff.med.Virginia.EDU (Clifford David Weston)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Warning! "Fuck" and "Shit" appear in this article
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:29:52 GMT
shoun@netcom.com (Lissa Shoun) writes:
>I'm trying to decide what horn to get.
>Everyone seems to have Fiamms but I was wondering about Spagthorpe
>Electronics. The two most suitable horns for a bike are the Spagthorpe
>Conure and the Cockatoo.
i wanted the spagthorpe kennel-cough, but repeated inquiries to the venerable
spagthorpt 900 number left me unsatisfied. i compromised and got the fiamms.
>they don't know when they will be getting any.
i think that also applies to many of us, especially the married ones.
cliff weston
dod# 0598
i love the fiamms.
the fiamms are my friends.
===============================================================================
>From datasbld 20 Aug 92 15:51:30 GMT
From: datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Warning! "Fuck" and "Shit" appear in this article
Date: 20 Aug 92 15:51:30 GMT
Lissa Shoun (shoun@netcom.com) wrote:
: I almost forgot to ask my question. I'm trying to decide what horn to get.
: Everyone seems to have Fiamms but I was wondering about Spagthorpe
: Electronics. The two most suitable horns for a bike are the Spagthorpe
: Conure and the Cockatoo. Does anyone know which is louder? And is there
: any mail order supply for these horns? Road Rider is out of stock and
: they don't know when they will be getting any.
:
: "Nothing is as overrated as a bad ride, or as underrated as a good post."
:
:
: --
: Lissa
: shoun@netcom.com (408) 926-0812
Lisa, Liza, Lease her or whatever....
Spagthorpe Empire Electronics Company Ltd., Cambridge, England manufacture a
range of horns, but only a few of them are suitable for fitment onto today's
lightweight low capacity low voltage motorcycles. The Cockatoo, with the
pink noise filter attachment and optional NOS cylinder is indeed the loudest
of the smaller motorcycle-friendly horns but the best one, by far, is the
Spagthorpe Harbinger. It does have a few drawbacks though, mainly the 8kV at
66A required to get the thing into it's excited state and the 1/11 perch
diameter horn mouth. Only one attempt was ever made to mount one of these
awesome behemoths onto a motorcycle, a much modified Ariel Square 4 S8. The
engine was supercharged to provide enough power for the Lucas RT/3J8 generator
(taken from a WWII Pathfinder Lancaster) but still limited the top speed to
55MPH (not a problem for you Colonials, I hear). The machine was taken to
it's top speed by Tommy Cooper, (part-time magician/comedian) the respected
pioneering ex-jet plane test-pilot who then activated the main circuit breaker
to 'sound the horn'. Unfortunately, the power of the horn was such that the
Ariel was brought to a complete halt - unlike it's rider, poor Tommy, who was
flung violently over the bars and onto the concrete. For long afterwards, he
bore the scars on his head, finding that only by wearing an Egyptian Fez could
he hope to hide them. Oh, and all his magic tricks went wrong too.
The Spagthorpe Harbinger was rescued from the machine and now is used by Dundee
City Ciuncil to announce the arrival of haars.
Nick (the Historically Correct Biker DoD 1069 MAG 73516
No wife, no girl friend but TWO bikes!!!! I keep smiling! :)
===============================================================================
>From pms 20 Aug 92 20:15:16 GMT
From: pms@druhi.ATT.COM (Paul M. Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Warning! "Fuck" and "Shit" appear in this article
Date: 20 Aug 92 20:15:16 GMT
shoun@netcom.com (Lissa Shoun) writes:
>I almost forgot to ask my question. I'm trying to decide what horn to get.
>Everyone seems to have Fiamms but I was wondering about Spagthorpe
>Electronics. The two most suitable horns for a bike are the Spagthorpe
>Conure and the Cockatoo. Does anyone know which is louder? And is there
>any mail order supply for these horns? Road Rider is out of stock and
>they don't know when they will be getting any.
I would think that the Spagthorpes' unique 19 VAC electrics, and weird
3-wire horn circuit would make this more hassle than it's worth to adapt
to another bike. The yelping of the horns on my old Spagthorpe Whippet
was most impressive though.
--
P.M. Smith
===============================================================================
>From jld 21 Aug 92 14:35:20 GMT
From: jld@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Jeff Deeney)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Pug, the original minimalist motorcycle
Date: 21 Aug 92 14:35:20 GMT
In rec.motorcycles, tomb@drutx.ATT.COM (BarberTB) writes:
> With all the recent talk about the various Spagthorpe models, I
> am surprised that no one has mentioned the original Spagthorpe,
> the Pug. It is a relatively little-known motorcycle, so perhaps
Thanks Tom. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Spagthorpe
Hyperbole. In it's day, it was the fastest production motorycle available.
Some even went so far as to claim it was faster than a speeding bullet.
-Jeff Deeney- KotD #0000 DoD#0498 NCTR '88 XR600-Shamu
jld@hpfcla.fc.hp.com AMA#540813 COHVCO '81 CB750F-Llamaha
I'm OK, you're inflatable.
===============================================================================
>From jeq 26 Aug 92 15:09:24 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Helmets and Motorcycle Fatalities
Date: 26 Aug 92 15:09:24 GMT
keith@balrog.dseg.ti.com (Keith A. Schauer) writes:
> egreen@East.Sun.COM writes:
>>
>>I *only* ride the truck once a year, and *only* to carry beer to the
>>Ed Green, DoD #111
>>
>Ed, if you can afford to only drive your pickup once a year, you can afford
>to sell it and buy yourself a nice little scooter or something. I hear the
>Honda Elite is a nice machine. I read it on the net.
>
>Keith Schauer, DoD #0901
You would presume to suggest to a Denizen, with a number nearly an order
of magnitude below yours, to buy a non-DoD approved scooter?
I guess you really are a newbie. Anyone who's been around a while knows
the only scooter a Denizen would be caught dead on is a true classic;
a Vespa Turbo-250 comes to mind, but the scoot of choice is of course
none other than the Spagthorpe Yorkie. (To my mind, the only scooter
offering two wheel torsion spring monolever suspension _and_ a monocoque
chassis.)
--
Jonathan E. Quist INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
===============================================================================
>From edh 26 Aug 92 22:42:08 GMT
From: edh@wheeler.wrc.unr.edu ()
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Werewolf, Mudvalve Problems
Date: 26 Aug 92 22:42:08 GMT
David A. Braun (The Nashville Flash) inquires:
>Beyond that... does anyone have access to the factory literature or know
>where copies can be had? Are there any NOS mudvalve kits or (God forbid)
>complete mudvalve assemblies "out there?"
Just by coincidence, I was in the local Ducati shop Monday getting
a spare clutch cable for the 900SS. We were pawing through piles
of parts when we came upon a couple of boxes with that distinctive
"JS" logo on them, right next to the orange and white Lucas stuff
(these guys support(ed) all the Italian and British marques). Well, to
make a long story short, yes they have a mudvalve (!), but no they
won't sell it for any price. Neither Ed or Joe have ever had one
apart, so they couldn't help with the repair of yours. You can
contact them at (702) 323-8846. I have found that lots of begging
and waving green under their noses sometimes changes their minds.
>Can anyone suggest a source for pootane gas?
As you well know, the UN put the clamps on using pootane in motor
vehicles. I can still get nanogram quantities from Matheson to use
as an internal standard in one of our Alpha counters. The cost would
be astronomical for enough to run the Spagthorpe.
The good news is that it is not too difficult to make. I went to
the books and came up with the following:
Pootane or pooch, PoOCHCH2CH3, is technically more a metal substituted
ketone rather than an alkane. Common useage is -ane because of it's use
in gaseous form as a fuel, as are methane, propane, and butane.
***Note*** the phrase "Screwing the pooch" is rumored to have
started with Spagthorpe owners who inadvertently overpressurized
their tanks. The resulting reaction was quite spectacular.
The reaction to form pootane is to reduce Polonium oxide with
Sodium borohydride in the presence of propane. Polonium can be
recovered in sufficient quantities from Radium sources that are at
least 30 years old. Good sources would be old watches or the
dashboards of '47-'53 Studebakers.
Here are the basic reactions:
250C
Po + O2 --------> PoO2
H H H NaBH4 H H H
H-C-C-C-H + PoO2 ----------> H-C-C-C=Po=O + H2O
H H H H H
It's really too bad that Spagthorpe didn't get the Po recovery
system in the exaust up to propsed efficiency before the World
Courts pulled the plug on pootane. All that uproar over a few
stray Helium nuclei. Sheesh... A little Nukie never hurt anybody.
I hope this helps you get a rare and wonderful motorcycle back on
the road. I grew up in a small Nevada town, so never had the
opportunity to see a Spagthorpe. I had heard stories, and there
were a lot of wannabe Spagthorpe owners around, but the most
exotic thing around those parts was a CZ. Seeing a Werewolf on the
road would be a real treat.
Ed Hackett edh@wheeler.wrc.unr.edu The Desert Research Institute
DoD #0200 WMTC BMWRA DIOC Reno, Nevada (702) 673-7380
KotLS KtoLE KotD #0003 I'm not really a chemist, I'm just one of
DUCATI 900SS BMW K100RS them motorsicle sonsabitches. __=o&o>__
===============================================================================
>From matthews 28 Aug 92 16:37:27 GMT
From: matthews@ajsh.colorado.edu (Alex Matthews)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Winter Storage in Boston Area
Date: 28 Aug 92 16:37:27 GMT
bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (bob pasker) writes:
>
>winter...winter...winter... sorta rings a bell, but i still can't
>place it. could you please define these technical terms when you
>use them in a post?
Reminds me of a story, perhaps apocryphal, involving the first water-cooled
Spagthorpes to be exported. Many engine seizures were reported before
an astute owner noticed that the cooling system relied on an external
supply of (rain) water. The factory issued an accessory water tank for use
in the abnormal weather found over the rest of the globe, a feature
quickly dubbed the "St. Bernard Option" by the motorcycling press.
--
-Alex Matthews (matthews@ajsh.colorado.edu)
DoD #0010
"It's too pure, too unrefined." - Lance Holst, August '91
===============================================================================
>From terry 28 Aug 92 18:24:57 GMT
From: terry@rsi.prc.com (Terry Cunningham)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Bulldog
Date: 28 Aug 92 18:24:57 GMT
My wife had managed to talk me into driving her down into the Shenandoah
Valley so that she could do some 'antiqueing', and in anticipation of the
goodies she expected to purchase and carry home we took the truck. We were
poking around this one guys' yard, he had some tables of junk and some beat
up old furniture next to them, when something caught my eye.
What at first seemed to be an old metal milk can appeared to have emblazoned
on the side a heraldic shield and crest. My excitement mounted as I wiped
off the dust and grime and realized that the shield neatly framed what I
soon realized was a leather codpiece! My God!, I muttered to myself, this
is the petrol tank for a Spagthorpe! The guy, noticing my interest, came
over and asked if I wanted to buy it. He said that it had been lying around
in that old shed out back when he bought the place, and thought that he
might get a few bucks for it. I looked it over, what a trophy! and was ready
to give him the money when I noticed a curious thing. It was beat up and
timeworn everywhere but where the mounting brackets had it bolted to the
frame. Here the metal was shiny and uncorroded. My mind raced. This
petrol tank had only recently been removed from its' frame; the frame must
be nearby, possibly in the guys' shed. By sheer hulking will I feigned
disinterest, paid the guy 5 bucks for the tank, gathered the wife and drove
off.
What could I do? I had to know if that shed contained a Spagthorpe, jewel
of the British Empire. I told my wife that I was having a great time
shoppping (a special hell will be reserved for me), and that we should spend
the night in a motel around here and make a weekend of it. We went out for
dinner, and I made sure that the wine was flowing (for her). After dinner
we went back to the motel, and soon enough she was sleeping soundly. I had
a plan. I would drive back to the guys' house, sneak into the shed, and
find out whether a Spagthorpe lay within. I would also take the petrol tank
with me in case I needed to make up a story if by chance I were caught. Once
inside I would also photograph anything interesting.
The moon was full as I parked up the street and ran through the yard and
back behind the shed. The anticipation, and sheer excitement of what I
was doing caused me to tremble, but I was resolute; I am a Denizen!
The old oak door proved suprisingly resilient to my attempts to pry it open
so I instead decided to enter through the window. It was not locked, and
soon I had it open and was crawling through. I glanced around the dirty
old shed; I could make out some old tables and chairs, old tools, machine
parts, and something else over in the corner. I went over to look, and
gasped as I realized what I was seeing in that pale white moonlight.
It was a huge machine, with 2 rear wheels and 1 in front. "A trike?"
I seemed to remember some tales about the early days of the Spagthorpe
dynasty, when Lord Beamish Spagthorpe, the current Lord Julians'
grandfather, was a young ne'er-do-well peer of the realm. His interest
in motorcycles was the stuff of legend, his racing exploits having already
placed him among the top daredevils of the era. He and his mechanically
inclined friend, Sir Reginald Hotspur-Smythe, were also in the forefront
of motorcycle design and manufacture, with the early Spagthorpe Boxer to
their credit.
Lord Beamish and 'Reggie' counted among their freinds the wild and
irrepressible Quentin Hogsley-Dervishson. Quentin was an hasheesh smoker and
absinthe drinker, whos' short yet eventful life need not be recounted here.
He was also a motorcycle enthusiast of the first order, but due to his often
debauched state could not muster the werewithall, let alone the balance, to
ride the motorcycles of that or any other era. It was with their friend in
mind that Lord Beamish and Reggie decided to build a bike for their besotted
friend. A bike of unusual stability and simplicity of use, thus was the
Spagthorpe Bulldog, the first trike, conceived.
I pulled myself together from my reverie, and appraised the machine before
me. It was a Bulldog allright! Even in that dusty shed, with the years of
neglect and abuse bearing down on it, the trike still bore the noble
bloodlines, the impeccable craftmanship, and the fiery demeanor of a
thoroughbred. In that eerie moonlight it stood there proud, strong, and I
wondered what tales could it tell, how did it find itself here?.
I inspected the trike, and noted the counterbalance steering seat (whereby
if the drunken Quentin were to collapse to one side or the other, hydraulic
sensors would not only him back to the upright position, but would also
decelerate the bike while maintaining a straight line), the burled walnut
wardrobe on the left of the seat, and the sink (with hot and cold water
faucets) to the right of the seat. I looked for the silver champagne bucket
that I had remembered from photographs, but it had not survived the ravages
of time and the depradations of the current owner. I closely inspected the
chamber in front of the seat, behind the now missing petrol tank, but the
turkish hookah was also missing. I moved forward to the motor, and what a
behemoth it was. The 2000cc single cylinder MkII/B borrowed from the
Mastiff was still in position, the great dual flywheels that it drove almost
obscuring it on both sides. affixed to each flywheel was the rod that ran
back to a similar yet smaller arrangement in the rear. The flywheel
arrangement served 2 purposes: the first was to drive the rods that drove
the rear wheel shafts, the second being to provide a counter motion to the
tremendous reciprocating motion of the single cylinder engine. I smiled as I
remebered the stories of the first Bulldog, the connecting rods had been
mounted to the same spot on each flywheel instead of being set up for an
opposing stroke, the resulting motion literally tearing the prototype apart.
As I moved toward the front of the trike I was especially fascinated by the
belt driven warning siren that alerted all other travellers that Quentin was
abroad in the land.
I excitedly placed the petrol tank back into position in order to photograph
the beast. "What a coup for the Denizen archives!" I thought to myself. As
the tank slipped into its' collar on the frame, I felt the satisfying click
as the pressure seal engaged, and realized that the tank was now reunited
with the trike (the petrol tank was designed to disengage easily due to
the enebriated Quentins' proclivity for running out of gas, the idea being
that is was easier to carry the tank than push the trike). I set the camera
onto a nearby table, focussed in on the trike, set the timer, and climbed
into the Bulldog seat. To my satisfaction the flash engaged and the picture
was taken.
It was then that the thought struck me! The Spagthorpe Bulldog stored
tremenduos energy into a helical spring arrangement that provided the force
necessary to turn over the engine. Each time the trike was run, the spring
was slowly wound up ready for the next start. Could there be enough force
still stored in the spring? Could I turn the beast over, would she run?
I looked around the shed and found some kerosene in an old lamp, some paint
thinner, and what appeared to be some very hard cider in a jug. The
Spagthorpe was legendary for being able to run on anything, this was to be
the ultimate test, and I quickly poured everything into the ancient tank. A
rubber bulb below the tank seemed to be connected to the petrol line so I
gave a good hard squeeze. Climbing back into the seat I looked around for
the lever that released the spring and engaged the centrifugal clutch. There
was a brass and wood knob to one side of of a brass plate with several dials
embedded into the face. I pulled on the knob as hard as I could!
The events that transpired next are still somewhat fuzzy in my memory, but to
the best of my recollection, here is what occured.
A tremendous whirring sound came from a round case bolted behind the engine, I
realized that the spring was indeed releasing its energy and the clutch plates
were spinning. The next noise that came from the beast was a grinding sound
that I took to be all the clutch discs engaging and the engine starting to
turn over, I could only hope that the ancient magneto was still up to snuff.
After several revolutions my heart almost expolded when that old MKII/B
suddenly roared to life. The entire trike was shuddering around me and I felt
the hydraulic seat sensors adjust to my weight. It was then that it happened!
I must have engaged the automatic transmission foot pedal, because the trike
lurched forward andmoved rapidly across the shed. In horror I realized that
had no idea where the brakes were, and could only sit there stunned as the
trike burst through the previuously impervious oak doors and lunged into the
yard. It was then that I noticed for the first time that there were no
handlebars, merely a lever comming up through the floor in front of the seat.
I grabbed the lever and tried to lean it to the left or right, but nothing
happened. At this point the trike crossed a ditch at the edge of the yard
and we were in the street. The lurch as we traversed the ditch caused me to
lean heavily against the lever, at which point the trike turned to the right.
As I pulled back on the lever the wheel the trike straightened itself out
and we were moving down the road. I could now steer the trike with this
joystick lever with some ease.
The road was moonlit, the breeze was cool in my face, and I was starting to
enjoy the ride as we moved through the Virginia countryside, the Spagthorpe
and I. She felt eager to run and was moving at a good 40 to 45 mph. I still
had no idea where the brake lever was, but I found that by disengaging the
the clutch lever I could induce a free roll at which point she would slow
down rapidly, re-engaging the clutch lever when power was necessary. The only
problems I experienced where with those blasted seat sensors, their constant
probing and adjusting of the plane of the seat as I tried to inspect the
trike were a constant nuisance. The pathetic headlamp was also a problem
if a car would approach, but except for a few honks, nobody seemed too
concerned as I passed. I sensed the twin spirits of Lord Beamish on my
left side and Geeky the Daemon on my right as we rode through that moonlit
night.
Again, my reverie was broken by a strange wail starting from the trike, a
mournful dirgelike howl that grew louder with each passing moment. "Good Lord,
the siren!" I said as the banshee wailing grew louder and louder. I reached
forward to see if I could disconnect the sirens drive belt somehow, but the
effect on both the steering and the seat sensors immediately caused me to
abandon that attempt. It was while I was otherwise preoccupied with the
siren that we rounded the next curve and found ourselves travelling into the
same town where my wife and I were staying. I did not want to attract any
more attention than was necessary, therefore I pulled into the nearest
parking lot to turn around and return back to the guys' shed. Unfortunately
I had selected the local 24 hour donut shop to execute my maneuver, and I
realized with horror that my excursion through the lot was being viewed by
several members of the local constabulary. My only regret was that I did
not exhibit the presence of mind to photograph the look on their faces as a
fully featured Spagthorpe Bulldog executed a precision figure 8, while wailing
like a demon from hell, in front of their donut gorged faces.
Needless to say, I decided that this evening jaunt was over, and that I should
return the Bulldog posthaste to its' owner. I let the trike build up to its'
maximum speed, around 60 mph I would estimate, and concentrated on steering
the beast down that silvery ribbon of road. Behind me I could hear the first
undulating wails of the police sirens over the steadier drone of the trikes',
and knew that I needed to find the right house and return the trike before
they caught up to me.
It was while I was thus preoccupied with the exhilaration of the chase that
I failed to negotiate a sharply banked curve and I found myself running off
the road and into a field. The resulting jerking and bouncing caused me to
lose all control of the machine and we raced across the field and into a
thicket on the far side. Branches and twigs raked my face, but still we sped
on, emerging from the thicket and onto what appeared to be an old fire trail
going accross the mountain. We crossed the fire trail, burst through what
seemed to be a chain stretched along several posts, hit an embankment, and
hurtled into the air. The resulting strain on the seat sensors must have
caused them to go haywire as I was hurtled from the seat in a manner
reminicent of jet fighter ejection seats. I hit the ground with a thud, and
lay there, waiting for the sound of the Spagthorpe to hit the ground.
After several moments, I realized that I wasn't going to hear that sound! If
it was going to land, it should have done so by now. I cautiously stood up
and checked for breaks and bruises; everything seemed to be in place, and
nothing felt broken. Peering ahead and over the enbakment, I could see no
sign of the Spagthorpe. I wondered around, and finally came across the chain
that had acted as a barrier on the one side of the trail. As I followed it
along I came to a wooden sign hanging from a link. In the moonlight I read:
C A U T I O N C A U T I O N
HIDDEN POTHOLES AND CAVES IN THE AREA!
It is extremely hazardous to leaves the
trail in this area as there are many
caves, holes, and subterranean hazards.
Well, that must be the answer. The Bulldog must have flown directly into
one of these caves, and is now deep underground someplace. There would be no
way for me to find it, and it could be dangerous to be looking. I figured that
I had had enough adventure for one evening, that I should go find the truck,
make up a story for the old lady, and beat feat out of this burg.
Well, we made it out of there ok. My wife bought the story, and the cops
never came looking, so I figure nobody linked me to the event. The local
papers talked about how the local cops had to drive one of those outlaw
biker gangs out of town, and a report of a guy who had his shed broken into
and some antique stuff stolen.
I still wonder about the Bulldog, they say there are underground rivers that
run through those caves and that travel for miles before emerging someplace
else. Who knows, maybe it will surface in another town, where another
Denizen can fire it up and do us all proud. I look forward to that day!
Terry
Oh yeah, about the photograph. When I had the picture developed, it seems
that the camera must have moved, because all that you can see is what looks
like an old Ford tractor.
--
| Terry Cunningham terry@rsi.prc.com | "Let me take my chances on the wall |
| DoD# 541 'Debaucher of Donuts' | of death" Richard Thompson |
===============================================================================
>From david 2 Sep 92 15:45:50 GMT
From: david@ctr.columbia.edu (David J. djinn Ifversen)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Bloodhound (long)
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:45:50 GMT
In message <4677@prcrs.prc.com>, Terry Cunningham talks about the Spagthorpe
Bulldog that possibly ended up underground. This reminds me of a similar
incident. First, some background...
I went to college at Michigan Tech University, in Houghton Michigan.
Houghton is located in the heart of the Keewenaw penninsula, that little
"nubbin" of land that sticks out into Lake Superior from Michigan's Upper
Penninsula. Very beautiful and rugged country, sometimes called "The Last
Frontier" by the residents. This area is also known as the Copper Country.
The copper mining industry was very big there before WW2 -- there are something
like 2500 known mine openings in the Keewenaw, and countless unknown or "lost"
mineshafts, ventshafts, and sinkholes. (I have been told that a person could
walk from one end of the Keewenaw to the other underground). Winters in the
Keewenaw have to be experienced to be believed. Temperatures can get down to
-40 degrees F, and snow accumulations of 400+ inches a year are not unheard of.
A friend (he's a mining engineer) has the keys to the Quincy Mine Shaft
House. A bunch of us "borrowed" his keys one night, and went exploring in
the old mine. We were crawling around in a stope on one of the upper levels
(the mine has over 90 levels, anything below level 21 is flooded), and we
came upon the remains of an old rockslide. Rockslides are common in the
mines, and if the copper had already been taken out, nobody bothered to
clean them up unless a main shaft or tunnel was blocked. While climbing
over part of the slide, my foot slipped, dislodging a rock. Things got
*real* interesting for a while, as rocks slid and bounced off of the pileup.
When the dust settled, we noticed that an old "drift" tunnel had been
partially uncovered. The tunnel roof didn't look too bad (it didn't look
too good, either :-) ), so we entered the drift to see what was back there.
Our dim lights reflected off of a badly tarnished piece of metal -- the
Spagthorpe crest, located on the fuel tank of one of the most unusual
motorcycles we had ever seen - the legendary Spagthorpe Bloodhound.
Only 4 Bloodhounds were ever built, to the specifications of the Quincy
Mining Company All Volunteer Fire Department and Amateur Detective Agency.
The Bloodhound was designed to run through the worst that Mother Nature could
dish out, and come back for more. The engine was of the experimental "bent
pitchfork" design; 3 cylinders, 180 cubic inches, one cylinder angled forward
30 degrees, one cylinder straight up, and one angled back 30 degrees. The
engine was said to produce tons of low end torque, and could burn gasoline,
kerosene, alcohol, or even, (in a pinch), coal dust. The engine did have a
tendency to backfire if substandard fuel was used. There was no fuel pump
for the fuel injection system. Instead, the fuel tank was pressurized by a
bellows-type pump arrangement, driven from the saddle suspension. Every time
the motorcycle went over a bump, more air was pumped into the tank. Since
Houghton roads and trails were famous for ruts and potholes, excess air
pressure in the tank could be used to power the steam locomotive whistle that
the Bloodhound had in place of a horn. The engine was coupled to a 7 speed
transmission (featuring low, super-low, and ultra-granny-low gears), which
transmitted power to the rear wheel through a 6 inch wide *leather* belt.
The standard rear wheel was equipped with a cleated rubber tire, and the front
wheel could be replaced by a single ski. The *dual* carbide headlamps had an
experimental reflector and lens assembly that could throw a beam of light
almost one mile. Waste heat from the headlamps was vented up behind the
windscreen to help keep the operator warm, and to serve as a windscreen
defroster (an important consideration for the Houghton winters). There was no
electric or kick starter. The Bloodhound used an earlier version of the
Bulldog spring starter. The operator used a handcrank to put tension on the
spring for starting.
The Bloodhound quickly developed quite a reputation in the north country
for durability and endurance, and the operators (through dogged persistence)
gained a reputation as one of the finest detective forces around. Other
police departments would call on the Bloodhounds for their most difficult
cases. (In fact, in a rare show of international cooperation, the Bloodhounds
helped out the RCMP on some tracking cases. They came through with flying
colors, helping the Mounties earn their reputation for "always getting their
man" :-) ).
Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 Bloodhounds were on loan to the Ironwood Sheriff
when the Ironwood Mine Disaster occurred. The top 5 levels of the mine
collapsed. The town was built on top of the mine, so it ended up in the
sinkhole. The Bloodhounds were never recovered. The 4th Bloodhound
disappeared while chasing a bandit who robbed the Quincy Mine Payroll Office.
It was this motorcycle that we had discovered in the old Quincy Mine. The
mummified remains of the operator were still seated in the saddle, and our
dim lights revealed the remains of the bandit, further along the dead-end
drift. As near as we could figure, the engine backfired, bringing the
tunnel mouth down, trapping the two men.
I quickly took a picture of the Spagthorpe Bloodhound, and we crawled
back out of the tunnel. We lost no time in returning to town for ropes,
block and tackle, and other recovery gear, however, upon our return, we
discovered that a massive rockslide had altered the topography of the mine.
We had no clue as to where anything was anymore! After several hours of
fruitless searching, we gave up and went home. Unfortunately, when I
snapped the picture of the Bloodhound, my foot must have slipped. When the
pictures returned from the photo lab, all that was visible was an old
narrow guage mine locomotive and some rusted ore cars.
If you are ever in Houghton, visit the Quincy Shaft House and Steam Hoist
(it's a museum now), but remember that somewhere below your feet is one of
the most strange pieces of motorcycling history ever recorded.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David J. (djinn) Ifversen |
FermiLab RD/SOD?/Operations | My employer doesn't care about my
Particles -R- Us | opinions, so why should anybody else?
'83 750 Maxim DoD #0662 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
>From dab 2 Sep 92 17:31:11 GMT
From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: "Literature" (excerpt)
Date: 2 Sep 92 17:31:11 GMT
>From: _The Mint_ by 352087 A/c Ross
(Excerpted and slightly edited with apologies to the late Mr. Ross who
later lost his life whilst riding a Brough Superior.)
"16: The Road
The extravagance in which my surplus emotion expressed itself lay on the
road. So long as roads were tarred blue and straight; not hedged; and empty
and dry, so long I was rich. Nightly I'd run up from the hanger, upon the
last stroke of work, spurring my tired feet to be nimble. The very movement
refreshed them, after the day-long restraint of service. In five minutes,
my bed would be down, ready for the night: in four more I was in breeches
and puttees, pulling on my gauntlets as I walked over to my bike, which
lived in a garage-hut, opposite. Its tyres never wanted air, its engine had
a habit of starting at second kick: a good habit, for only by frantic
plunges upon the starting pedal could my puny weight force the engine over
the seven atmospheres of its compression.
Boanerges' first glad roar at being alive again nightly jarred the huts of
Cadet College into life. 'There he goes, the noisy @#$%#$,' someone would
say enviously in every flight. It is part of an airman's profession to be
knowing with engines: and a thoroughbred engine is our undying satisfaction.
The camp wore the virtue of my Spagthorpe like a flower in its cap. Tonight
Tug and Dusty came to the step of our hut to see me off. 'Running down to
Smoke, perhaps?' jeered Dusty; hitting at my regular game of London and back
for tea on fine Wednesday afternoons.
Boa is a top-gear machine, as sweet in that as most single-cylinders in
middle. I chug lordily past the guard-room and through the speed limit at
no more than sixteen. Round the bend, past the farm, and the way
straightens. Now for it. The engine's final development is fifty-two
horsepower. A miracle for this docile strength waits behind one tiny lever
for the pleasure of my hand.
Another bend: and I have the honour of one of England's straightest and
fastest roads. The burble of my exhaust unwound like a long cord behind me.
Soon my speed snapped it, and I heard only the cry of the wind which my
battering ram head split and fended aside. The cry rose with my speed to a
shriek: while the air's coldness streamed like two jets of iced water into
my dissolving eyes. I screwed them to slits, and focused my sight two
hundred yards ahead of me on the empty mosaic of the tar's gravelled
undulations.
Like arrows the tiny flies pricked my cheeks; and sometimes a heavier body,
some house-fly or beetle, would crash into face or lips like a spent bullet.
A glance at the speedometer: seventy-eight. Boanerges is warming up. I
pull the throttle right open, on the top of the slope, and we swoop flying
across the dip, and up-down up-down the switchback beyond: the weighty
machine launching itself like a projectile with a whirr of wheels into the
air at the take-off of each rise, to land lurchingly with such a snatch of
the driving chain as jerks my spine like a rictus.
Once we so fled across the evening light, with the yellow sun on my left,
when a huge shadow roared just overhead. A Bristol Fighter, from Whitewash
Villas, our neighbour aerodrome, was banking sharply round. I checked speed
at an instant to wave: and the slipstream of my impetus snapped my arm and
elbow astern, like a raised flail. The pilot pointed down the road towards
Lincoln. I sat hard in the saddle, folded back my ears and went away after
him, like a dog after a hare. Quickly we drew abreast, as the impulse of
his dive to my level exhausted itself.
The next mile of road was rough. I braced my feet into the rests, thrust
with my arms, and clenched my knees on the tank till its rubber grips
goggled under my thighs. Over the first pot-hole Boanerges screamed in
surprise, its mud-guard bottoming with a yawp upon the rear tyre. Through
the plunges of the next ten seconds I clung on, wedging my gloved hand in
the throttle lever so that no bump should close it and spoil our speed.
Then the bicycle wrenched sideways into three long ruts: it swayed dizzily,
wagging its tail for thirty awful yards. Out came the clutch, the engine
raced freely: Boa checked and straightened his head with a shake, as a Spag
should.
The bad ground was passed and on the new road our flight became birdlike.
My head was blown out with air so that my ears had failed and we seemed to
whirl soundlessly between the sun-gilt stubble fields. I dared, on a rise,
to slow imperceptibly and glance sideways into the sky. There the Bif was,
two hundred yards and more back. Play with the fellow? Why not? I slowed
to ninety: signalled with my hand for him to overtake. Slowed ten more:
sat up. Over he rattled. His passenger, a helmeted and goggled grin, hung
out of the cock-pit to pass me the 'Up yer' Raf randy greeting.
They were hoping I was a flash in the pan, giving them best. Open went my
throttle again. Boa crept level, fifty feet below: held them: sailed ahead
into the clean and level country. An approaching car pulled nearly into its
ditch at the sight of our race. The Bif was zooming among the trees and
telegraph poles, with my scurrying spot only eighty yards ahead. I gained
though, gained steadily: was perhaps five miles an hour the faster. Down
went my left hand to give the engine two extra dollops of oil, for fear that
something was running hot: but the overhead JAP twin, super-tuned like this
one, would carry on to the moon and back, unfaltering.
We drew near the settlement. A long mile before the first houses I closed
down the and coasted to the cross-roads by the hospital. Bif caught up,
banked, climbed and turned for home, waving to me as long as he was in
sight. Fourteen miles from camp, we are, here: and fifteen minutes since I
left Tug and Dusty at the hut door.
I let in the clutch again, and eased Boanerges down the hill, along the tram
lines through the dirty streets and up-hill to the aloof cathedral, where it
stood in frigid perfection above the cowering close. No message of mercy in
Lincoln. Our God is a jealous God: and man's very best offering will fall
disdainfully short of worthiness, in the sight of Saint Hugh and his angels.
Remigius, earthy old Remigius, looks with more charity on me and Boanerges.
I stabled the steel magnificence of strength and speed at his west door and
went in: to find the organist practising something slow and rythmical, like
a multiplication table in notes, on the organ. The fretted, unsatisfying
and unsatisfied lace-work of choir screen and spandrels drank in the main
sound. Its surplus spilled thoughtfully into my ears.
By them my belly had forgotten its lunch, my eyes smarted and steamed. Out
again, to sluice my head under White Hart's yard-pump. A cup of real
chocolate and a muffin at the teashop: and Boa and I took the Newark road
for the last hour of daylight. He ambles at forty-five and when roaring his
utmost, surpasses the hundred. A skittish motor-bike with a touch of blood
in it is better than all the riding animals on earth, because of its logical
extension of our faculties, and the hint, the provocation, to excess
conferred by its honeyed untiring smoothness. Because Boa loves me, he
gives me five more miles of speed than a stranger would get from him.
At Nottingham I added sausages from my wholesaler to the bacon which I'd
bought at Lincoln: bacon so nicely sliced that each rasher meant a penny.
The solid pannier-bags behind the saddle took all this and at my next stop
(a farm) took also a felt-hammocked box of fifteen eggs. Home by Sleaford,
our squalid, purse-proud, local village. Its butcher had six penn'orth of
dripping ready for me. For months I have been making my evening round a
marketing, twice a week, riding a hundred miles for the joy of it and
picking up the best food cheapest, over half the country side."
--
"No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle." - Winston Churchill
The Nashville Flash - dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu - DoD # 412
Reiteration: I DID NOT WRITE THIS. IT IS EXCERPTED FROM THE BOOK (edited).
===============================================================================
>From bob 4 Sep 92 04:30:55 GMT
From: bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (bob pasker)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: not the Spagthorpe Basenji
Date: 4 Sep 92 04:30:55 GMT
, jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
> datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild) writes:
>>
>> ___
>> | |
>> | |
>> __|___|__
>> /~~~\
>> | o o |
>> ( | )
>> \ - /
>> | |
>> /~~~ ~~~\
>> / /| |\ \
>> / / |M'Lud| \ \
>> / / | | \ \
>> | / /~~~~~\ \ |
>> ==||=, | | ,=UW==
>> _UW/ ===/~~~\=== \___
>> || ( ) ||
>> ||\___/||
>> || (_) ||
>> || ||
>> ||/~~~\||
>> || /~\ ||
>> ||| \ |||
>> /----||| / |||----\
>> |||| ==| \ |==|||||
>> \---- | / | -----/
>> | \ |
>> | / |
>> | \ |
>> | / |
>> \_/
>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> My goodness! Where did you dig this up. Surely that's none other
> than the honorable Sir Ruthvyn Swallowleigh-Spagthorpe, the great barrister,
> perched atop a Spagthorpe Basenji?
sorry, jon, that's not that basenji. the picture had suffered bitrot
and so i have restored it to its original condition. it is noneother
than the Spagthorpe Boxer.
--
-- bob pasker
-- bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us
--
===============================================================================
>From groh 9 Sep 92 12:25:42 GMT
From: groh@sig.cs.fsu.edu (Jim Groh)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: What's a Stroker
Date: 9 Sep 92 12:25:42 GMT
Reply-To: groh@nu.cs.fsu.edu
stafford@msus1.msus.edu writes:
>
> The only way to increase stroke is to change the
> crank. My friend Greg, the pro Harley dragracer
> had a dynamically self-modifying crank which provided
> a stroke length greater than the capacity of the cases.
> In this 'design', the limiting factor was the proximity
> of the earth to the engine. It only worked once and
> was a serendipitous invention which emerged as a consequence
> of nitrosaturated oil and very loose valve guides.
>
This reminds me of a technical article I was reading in an old magazine from
the stacks, (I think it was the British Sprortsbike Journal, 1937 issue),
about the Sparthorpe Supreme (one of the first SS bikes) which amazingly
enough had a variable length stroke with louvered piston design. It was
a single cylinder 'thumper' that had a spring loaded,
ratcheted (sp) crank pin that was geared to the main crank shaft.
The idea was that at low rpm the centrifugal force (or lack of) would allow
the spring to force the crank pin out creating a longer stroke for lots
of low rpm long stroke power. At the same time the louvres in the piston
would retract providing clearance for the valves. As the rpm went up the
crank pin would ratchet up (closer to the center), the louvers would open
up and above 14200 rpm the stroke was 1/2 to what it was at 200rpm. This
allowed for practically unlimited rpms (there was no redline on these
puppies) with all the attendant advantages. Sadly enough only three of
these Spagthorpe Supremes were made, one was destroyed in testing, the
driver Wilhem "squeeky" Spagthorpe retired afte the accident. A second
was sent to Germany for testing on the autobahn and disappeared during
the war and only the production records are left to indicate a third was
built but nothing as to its disposition. I would have had the pictures
scanned so all could see these beautiful machines but sadly the mildew
in the basement has made that impossible.
--
Jim Groh groh@sig.cs.fsu.edu | DoD #0356 | Hog# 0437643 |new improved
1959 XLH 900 ** 1982 FXR ** 1989 XLH 883 ** 1990 XLH 1200 | smaller sig
===============================================================================
>From tcox 10 Sep 92 00:55:47 GMT
From: tcox@netcom.netcom.com (Tom Cox)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Lone Wolf?
Date: 10 Sep 92 00:55:47 GMT
dbc@po.cwru.edu (Dean Cookson) writes:
>Wasn't it the Spagethorpe Lone Dog that had the built in Auto-Howl
>brand Jack-o-Matic?
I believe you're thinking of the Spagthorpe (not SpagEthorpe, I think)
"Lone Wolf". Unless there was a Lone Dog as well.
The Lone Wolf had a brief but distinguished career between the wars (the
World Wars, for you Americans with no knowledge of history), as a large
engine single-seater. It had the characteristic growl of a V-twin, and
(as you mention) the first ever motorcycle anti-theft alarm, the
Auto-Howl.
If there is general interest, I can look up the rest of my info on the
Lone Wolf.
Cheers.
-- Tom
--
Tom Cox DoD #1776 '91 CB 750 Nighthawk tcox@netcom.netcom.com
This note is my exercise of my First Amendment right to make a fool of
myself in public. I do not speak for anyone but myself. Ever.
===============================================================================
>From dbc 10 Sep 92 02:26:21 GMT
From: dbc@po.cwru.edu (Dean Cookson)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Lone Wolf?
Date: 10 Sep 92 02:26:21 GMT
, tcox@netcom.com (Thomas Cox) wrote:
>
> I believe you're thinking of the Spagthorpe (not SpagEthorpe, I think)
> "Lone Wolf". Unless there was a Lone Dog as well.
>
I believe the Lone Dog was the single cyl. "Thumper" It was also a solo
seat bike, with the "Milk Bone" driver entertainment system.
>
> If there is general interest, I can look up the rest of my info on the
> Lone Wolf.
mmmm. Please do.
| Dean Cookson / dbc@po.cwru.edu / 216 754-1834| DoD #207 AMA #573534|
| Case Western Reserve U. Computer E. and Sci. | KotNML / KotB |
| "If I was worried about who saw me, I'd never| '81 CB750C |
| get nekkid at all." -Ed Green, DoD #0111 | '88 Bianchi Limited |
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 17 Sep 92 19:11:37 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Motorcycles spotted at Walt Disney World
Date: 17 Sep 92 19:11:37 GMT
Reply-To: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
The spousal unit and I recently spent two weeks in Orlando Florida. We
spent several days at the 50th World Science Fiction Convention, and
the rest of the time at Walt Disney World. One of the new spots at WDW
since we were last there in 1988 is Pleasure Island, a complex of
nightclubs and shops that is open from 7PM to 2AM.
My favorite nightclub there, so much so that we spent nearly every
evening there with other folks from the Convention, was the Adventurers
Club, a take-off on the classic 1930's style stuffy gentlemens' club.
But in this club, you can never tell when such characters as Professor
Otis Wren, the self-important club treasurer, Hathaway Brown, renowned
aviator and bug expert (his smoking crashed plane is just outside), or
Pamelia Perkins, the sexually repressed club president, is going to
make an appearance to talk to the guests. Great fun. Kungaloosh!
Anyway, near the entrance to the Pleasure Island was, to my surprise,
an Ariel Square Four, looking to be in restorable condition. Some
bastard had cut the distributor wires (I carefully placed the cut wires
back in the distributor cap for appearance's sake). Apparently it's
only a display piece, and Disney fans will appreciate the joke. I
looked for serial numbers on the engine block and frame, but no luck.
I was already giddy with the idea that someone in the Disney
organization (which I already have a great deal of admiration for)
thought of this. Little did I know that the best was yet to come.
I spend a few minutes wandering around the outside of the Adventurers
Club one evening, waiting for it to open late because someone had
booked it for a banquet. Around the far corner sat another display
piece, perhaps more in keeping with the theme of the Club. I swear
to you, my knees grew so weak I thought I might fall. It was a
Spagthorpe Mastiff, with sidecar, in what appeared to be in very close
to running condition. Most all the running gear looked to be intact,
although the rear double-chain was missing, and the ornate crested cover
to the oil tank was gone (and from what I could tell, the oil tank was
empty too).
Where the Ariel was black and chrome (and looked damned good), the
Spagthorpe was British Racing Green with gold accents. Stunning. Had
not the lithium battery in my camera decided to die during the NASA
tour several days before, I could have captured this for the photo
archive. As it was, this alone may have been worth the price of
admission to Pleasure Island.
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
===============================================================================
>From terry 21 Sep 92 14:57:16 GMT
From: terry@prcrs.prc.com (Terry Cunningham)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Pt 1/2: Spagthorpe Bulldog
Date: 21 Sep 92 14:57:16 GMT
, Alan.Nunn@f526.n635.z3.fidonet.org (Alan Nunn) writes:
>
> G'day Terry, I would like to tell you how much I appreciate your rollicking
> and ripping yarn on the exploits of the Spagthorpe. Is there a publication
> or intending publication of these ? BFN> alan
>
G'day yerself matey, Spagthorpe lore has been carefully passed down from
generation to generation ('til the handle dropped off). The DoD MC has
actively involved itself in this tradition, but to date there has been
no compendium of Spagthorpe writings under one cover. Perhaps one of the
more literate Denizens (an oxymoron?) may yet compile all the stories,
edit them, perhaps provide the foreword and credits, and post them to
rec.moto occaisionaly.
Terry
--
| Terry Cunningham terry@rsi.prc.com | "Let me take my chances on the wall |
| DoD# 541 'Debaucher of Donuts' | of death" Richard Thompson |
===============================================================================
>From ed 21 Sep 92 15:51:39 GMT
From: ed@Tekelec.gecko.uucp (Ed Campbell)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Lone Wolfe
Date: 21 Sep 92 15:51:39 GMT
Yesterday I came across some old photos of my grandmother
from when she still lived in Scottland. They were taken at the
time she was trading her Spagthorpe Lone Wolfe in on a new Browne
wolfbain. The Browne was faster (the Wolfbain was designed
specifically to beat the Lone Wolfe) and slightly more reliable
as it had no electrical system at all. Ignition was by acetylene
heated hot tube and the lights were of the acetylene type. I
don't think she ever mastered the speed control though. All the
Browne bikes had an early form of manually controlled vari-drive
and the engine was governor controlled to run at peak power or
peak torque as selected by the "Mountain/flat" lever, which was
very tricky to manage.
After running through a variety of fences and hedgerows, she
decided to trade the Browne for an American import, but she found
that the Henderson and Neracar dealer in Edenburg had closed the
week before. She then crated the Wolfbain, moved to the US and
traded it at the first Henderson dealer she came to (after it
ran away with her and crashed through their front door).
Ed Campbell
'57 FL
'76 XLCH
My other car is a '54 Harley Servicar.
*************************************************************
"Those twins are nice, but since I put in that Plymouth 4
engine, there aint a Harley, Indian, or Exelcior that can
touch my Henderson!"
Grandmother 1936
==============================================================================
>From jeq 29 Sep 92 20:42:01 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: talk.bizarre,rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Stat du jour
Date: 29 Sep 92 20:42:01 GMT
datasbld@bnr.ca (Datasbuild) writes:
>Jim Small (dsc3jfs@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil) wrote:
>: rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil (Code-03 LCDR Michael E. Dobson) writes:
>: > mathew sniggers:
>: >>1% of British men, while making love, fantasize about their wife being
>: >>responsive.
>: >>
>: >The other 99% wouldn't know what to do with a responsive wife if they had
>: >one.
>
>I think I'll ignore this.
Why? Because it's too close to the truth, and you don't want to be identified
as one of the 1%, or because it's too close to the truth, and you don't
want to be identified as one of the 99%? ;')
ObSpagthorpe: The only known motorcycle application of the
Curtiss-Wright R2800 engine was the Spagthorpe Baskerville.
Attempts to convince Rolls-Royce to allow use of one of their engines
in a Spagthorpe design failed. In fact, in response to the rumour
that RR had conceded that the Brough Superior was, in fact, the
Rolls-Royce of motorcycles, a RR engineer is said to have remarked
"and the Spagthorpe is the Morris-Cowley of motorcycles." It's not clear
which design this applies to, as the remark seems equally suited to
all the early Spags.
--
Jonathan E. Quist INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
===============================================================================
>From dab 1 Oct 92 20:03:32 GMT
From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Stupid Questions
Date: 1 Oct 92 20:03:32 GMT
osborn@cs.utexas.edu (John Howard Osborn) writes:
>In no particular order, here are some things I've been wondering about...
>
[a bunch of swell "hmmmmm..." questions deleted...]
>
>6. What was the ugliest motorcycle ever produced? (New, not ratted out.)
That is an easy one to answer... the Spagthorpe Pug. This bike was so ugly,
that (those of you who are old enough to have voted for/against Carter will
remember) Joan Claybrook had the NHTSA take the tail light off it and make it
ride-able (sort of) backwards.
This is proof-positive that it was the ugliest bike and comes from the maxim,
"If my dog was that ugly, I'd shave his ass and teach him to walk backwards."
--
"No hour of life is lost that is spent in the barber chair." - J.Spagthorpe
The Nashville Flash - dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu - DoD # 412
===============================================================================
>From jeq 7 Oct 92 15:04:34 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Stupid Questions
Date: 7 Oct 92 15:04:34 GMT
bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (bob pasker) writes:
>, egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
>>>6. What was the ugliest motorcycle ever produced? (New, not ratted out.)
>>
>> BMW R100G/S.
>
>ed, those who ride glass motorcycles shouldn't throw stones.
Glass? Ed, wherever did you ever find a Spagthorpe Blink Dog?
--
Jonathan E. Quist INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
===============================================================================
>From leighann 20 Oct 92 17:31:06 GMT
From: leighann@flame.sybase.com (Leigh Ann Hussey)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: DoD Pets (was I won? (NOT!) )
Date: 20 Oct 92 17:31:06 GMT
, viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
|> egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
|>
|> >Besides, everybody has cats. Ferrets, now *there's* an interesting pet...
|>
|> I've four. Bonnie N. Clyde, Angel Eyes, Blondie, and Tuco
|> Benedicto Pacifico Juan Maria Ramirez.
Hm, my RFD for rec.moto.homebrew didn't fly, howabout rec.moto.polecat?
I've got one too... The best part about Peri is how she rushes around the
house saying, "What? What? What? What? What?" No trash can is safe...
ObSpagthorpe: Heavens, was it really seventy years ago this day that Lord
Julian flung down his morning paper (after reading in the social column that
Baron Ffolkestone had just introduced a sort of motorized bicycle which he
called the Weasel), sprang from his chair at the breakfast table with a wild
gleam in his eye, upsetting both his repast and his servant, and rushed from
the solarium muttering something about going to the dogs, followed by the
wondering gazes of his sister and dowager mother? Seems like only
yesterday...
- Leigh Ann
----------------
Leigh Ann Hussey
leighann@sybase.com {sun,lll-tis,pyramid,pacbell}!sybase!leighann
DoD#5913 AMA#624549 AWRRA#23 (skidoo!)
'74 Honda CB360 "Fyrdraka" '81 Yamaha Maxim650 "Elhaz"
"And they ride, and they ride/ And the White Hounds run beside/ And they'll
seize the night and shake it by the throat."
===============================================================================
>From dab 4 Jan 93 23:31:53 GMT
From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Chihuahua?
Date: 4 Jan 93 23:31:53 GMT
Is it TRUE?! I heard thru the barleyvine that J. Spagthorpe is coming out
with some sort of pocket-rocket ala YSR50 or GSXR80 or CBRR90RRR. Has anyone
SEEN one at any of the bike shows? Specs! Whaddare the specs?
--
"Far away is far away only if you don't go there." - O Povo, Fortaleza, Brazil
Flash - dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu - DoD # 412
===============================================================================
>From charlie 5 Jan 93 14:20:18 GMT
From: charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Chihuahua?
Date: 5 Jan 93 14:20:18 GMT
dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (Flash) writes:
>Is it TRUE?! I heard thru the barleyvine that J. Spagthorpe is coming out
>with some sort of pocket-rocket ala YSR50 or GSXR80 or CBRR90RRR. Has anyone
>SEEN one at any of the bike shows? Specs! Whaddare the specs?
Hey Flash! This was covered in the last BMW Riders Association (RA) On The
Level mag ... don't you remember their comments on the Cologne show coverage
done by the MOA people - RA made a big issue out of MOA not covering the
Chihuahua!
According the OTL, the Chihuahua is based on an 1800cc version of the new
BMW twin and has a Maseratti Birdcage type space frame modified to use the
drivetrain as an integral frame component. It was estimated that the frame
is built up from approximately 8347 soda straw sized titanium tubelets, each
being between 1" and 5" long; this results in two major frame components that
together weigh in at 2.853 Kg. This bike also had a mono-post trailing arm
*front* suspension with 100% anti-dive/anti-rise geometry built in! It was
able to do this without resorting to any suspension movement snubbers or
other weight adding components.
The Chihuahua is reported to have a fairing laminated out of radar frequency
(10.5 and 24 GHz) absorbant multilayered foam, such that the bike will not
reflect any more radar signal than an aluminum framed Trek bicycle, this
results in a 80% reduction in the range at which the bike can be clocked by
police radar; this is assuming that the rider does not have metal framed
eyeglasses. As an aid in direction finding the Chihuahua will be equipped
with dual front disk brakes, pre-drilled at the factory, with a red tinge on
the left disk rotor and a green tinge on the right rotor. The rotors will
be acceptably large to permit engagement with San Francisco cable car tracks
to allow cornering on rails when desired.
Overall, the Chihuahua weighs in at 241.3 lbs, and with the nominal horsepower
figure of 162 that was quoted for the 1800cc twin the bike should actually
arrive on the showroom floor with acceptable performance capabilities. It
is estimated that the Chihuahua will out accelerate a P-51 Mustang from rest
to any speed achievable by the Chihuahua; and further, the Cologne show exhibit
had an action film showing that the Chihuahua could accelerate downhill quite
a bit faster than acceleration achieved by an object in free fall.
The Chihuahua included options of things such as the Venison-Be-Gon (V-B-G)
{tm} deer whistle, a holder for the DoD auctioned bra, and a cellular phone
based SPAM system to permit realtime posts to wreck.motorcycles on the
front and rear tire pressures.
OTL went on to say that word on the street says the Chihuahua will show up in
dealer showrooms early in spring of 1993.
Charlie Smith charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org csmith@dsac.dla.mil whois ces10
MOA# 52888, RA# 15633, DoD# 0709, AMA# 574722, Buckey Beemers 411, BK Ohio V
BMW K1100-LT, R80-GS/PD, R27, Triumph TR6
Soon to include Spagthorpe Chihuahua
Columbus, Ohio
===============================================================================
>From jearls 5 Jan 93 15:31:14 GMT
From: jearls@tekig6.PEN.TEK.COM (Jeffrey David Earls)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Chihuahua?
Date: 5 Jan 93 15:31:14 GMT
dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (Flash) writes:
>Is it TRUE?! I heard thru the barleyvine that J. Spagthorpe is coming out
>with some sort of pocket-rocket ala YSR50 or GSXR80 or CBRR90RRR. Has anyone
>SEEN one at any of the bike shows? Specs! Whaddare the specs?
Ahh! The Spagthorpe Chihuahua! One of those fine specimens appeared at
the Great Pacific Northwest Dryside Gather last August. It must have been
a pre-production version. Neat looking little critter.
I had a friend take plenty of pictures. Unfortunately, after developing
the film, I discovered that in each case a Toyota truck had been parked
directly in front of the Spagthorpe. Such is life.
/------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Jeff Earls jearls@tekig6.pen.tek.com | DoD #0530 KotTG WMTC AMA |
|'89 FJ1200 - Millennium Falcon | Squid Factor: 3.67 and climbing... |
|'86 VF500F - Kit bike | "Hit the button Chewie!"... Han Solo |
If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.
===============================================================================
>From robinson 22 Jan 93 02:37:55 GMT
From: robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Michael Robinson)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: All-wheel drive???
Date: 22 Jan 93 02:37:55 GMT
I was talking to a friend the other day, and he told me about a motorcycle
show he went to a while back.
He claims he saw an old Spagthorpe prototype that had a driven front wheel.
It was a water-cooled bike, but instead of a radiator, it had sort of a
boiler affair. They ran steam lines down the front forks to a steam
turbine in the front hub (the hub apparently looked sort of like a
front drum brake type deal). The clever part was the centrifugal vane
advance on the turbine which would adjust the vanes for maximum torque
when stopped, and maximum power at speed.
I was sort of skeptical, but he explained the reasoning behind it: an
internal combustion engine is only about 70% efficient, with the rest
being lost to heat. If you only get 50% efficiency out of the steam
turbine, that's still 15% power that would otherwise blow away in the
wind. 15% power to the front wheel may not sound like much, but
proportionally, it's similar to the amount of efficiency you get out of
a rear brake. So, when you look at it that way it doesn't seem so
unreasonable.
The goal behind the driven front wheel design was similar to that of
4-wheel drive cars--increased cornering stability, and better control
on surfaces with poor traction.
I was concerned about the effect of the additional unsprung weight in
the front wheel, but my friend just said, "Hey, it's a Spagthorpe."
Good point. Apparently these bikes were never made in quantity, because
the cost of British union steamfitters would have made production bikes
prohibitively expensive.
My friend said he had some pictures he could show me, but he just moved
and hasn't unpacked them yet. I was just wondering if anyone else has
seen or heard about this bike. The idea sounds sort of interesting; I'm
just wondering how practical it would be. I mean, it sounds like some
of the things Honda has come up with.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Robinson UUCP: ucbvax!cogsci!robinson
INTERNET: robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu
===============================================================================
>From groh 22 Jan 93 15:11:41 GMT
From: groh@omicron.cs.fsu.edu (Jim Groh)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 22 Jan 93 15:11:41 GMT
robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Michael Robinson) writes:
>I was talking to a friend the other day, and he told me about a motorcycle
>show he went to a while back.
>
>He claims he saw an old Spagthorpe prototype that had a driven front wheel.
>It was a water-cooled bike, but instead of a radiator, it had sort of a
>boiler affair. They ran steam lines down the front forks to a steam
Absolutely correct, it was the Spagthorpe Indomitable. It was developed
during the time that BNG (British National Group) owned Spagthorpe, shortly
before the orignal family bought it back. It was developed by Wilhelm
Grotonwicke Spagthorpe, AKA Willie G. Spagthorpe, as an answer to the
Japanese invasion of hi-tech bikes. The market response was something
less then enthusiastic and only 4 additional units were producted. (I
think Malcomn Forbes had one, one blew up on the bonnie salt flats when
the cooling water became contaminated, and the other two lost in the
sands of time.) I had a picture of the prototype, but alas it has faded
with time (a lot like me), and the picture just won't scan.
>--
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Michael Robinson UUCP: ucbvax!cogsci!robinson
> INTERNET: robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu
--
Jim Groh groh@sig.cs.fsu.edu | DoD #0356 | Hog# 0437643 |new improved
1959 XLH 900 ** 1982 FXR ** 1989 XLH 883 ** 1990 XLH 1200 | smaller sig
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 22 Jan 93 16:45:30 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 22 Jan 93 16:45:30 GMT
robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Michael Robinson) writes:
>It was a water-cooled bike, but instead of a radiator, it had sort of a
>boiler affair. They ran steam lines down the front forks to a steam
From: article by groh@omicron.cs.fsu.edu (Jim Groh):
> Absolutely correct, it was the Spagthorpe Indomitable.
I take it that this was a completely different design from the one that
had the small radial-engines, not unlike miniture versions of those
used in WWII vintage aircraft, acting as both motive force and as front
and rear wheels? I recall that they had several problems with this
design:
o Unsprung weight was a problem, although the center of gravity was
extremely low. This model was not fitted with a center stand, a side
stand, or any kind of stand. Apparently it could easily be balanced to
stand upright even on its narrow tires with no other means of support.
o The seals around the axles had a tendency to leak gasoline. A
suitable gasket material and lubricant was never developed. This
ultimately led to the cancellation of the plan to store gasoline in the
tires, rather than in the gas tank, more of a fuel bladder really, that
doubled as the rider's seat, although this had the advantage of the
rider's weight pressurizing the fuel system. However, the bike never
idled well unless someone was sitting on it.
o Fuel was fed through the frame down through the front forks and the
rear shocks, which made the bike especially hazardous in a crash.
However, one-way valves and natural suspension action served as an
effective fuel pump.
o The tires frequently melted due to high cylinder head temperatures.
I know that water jackets were tried briefly, which worked as long one
did not want to turn, and as long as speeds were low. Centripedal force
apparently forced water high into the cylinder heads and made its
return to the spinning radiators which stuck out on either side of the
axles problematic.
o At high speeds, the spark plugs were frequently thrown from their
holes, which frequently entangled the spark plug wires in the spinning
engine. This resulted in frequently reboring of the holes to install
new plugs.
o There were several lawsuits, I recall, from pedestrians who were
clipped by the rather wide (and hot) "wheels" when the machine was
ridden through town. Not to mention the few that were flayed by
loose spark plug wires and the still-attached plugs.
A fascinating experiment, one which the march, or at least the stagger,
of technology will surely eventually make feasible. Rumors abound that
the new Yamaha RADD forkless front suspension is a first step in a
secret joint development plan between Yamaha and Suzuki to revive this
design with a Wankel rotary engine.
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
===============================================================================
>From dab 24 Jan 93 20:05:33 GMT
From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (Flash)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Tank Bag Monopole Magnets
Date: 24 Jan 93 20:05:33 GMT
bigdog!jon (Jon Wright) writes:
>I asked somebody at MotoPort about this and they said the ceramic magnets,
>which were more powerful than the previous metalic ones, were also polarized or
>uni-directional or something, which prevented screwing up your disks and cards.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Monopole Magnet(tm) was first pioneered by Jillian Spaghtorpe, Lord
Julian's sister. In theory, the single pole magnet extends its magnetic
field in only one direction. This enables the magnet to "stick" to the
tank while not erasing credit card stripes, disks, et cetera. However,
if one removes the bag from the tank, the mag field reaches out to infinity.
If not pointed toward the center of the earth, the magnets on the bag become
stealth degaussers, destroying hysterisis in oxide coatings for hundreds of
feet in the direction in which it is pointed. The material used today is a
special psychoceramic, said to be invented by a crack-pot rogue inventor.
The initial project proved a failure when Jillian discovered that Julian was
using aluminium petrol tanks. Despondent at her wasted effort, she turned a
water cooled experimental high power monopole on herself. Having ridden
slowly and taken Geritol, her blood was iron rich and her entire brain was
degaussed. She remains a sad but drooling shadow of her former self, whose
speech is only intelligible to Stephan Hawking.
>I guess the next obvious question is, "How do you know if they're polarized or
>not?"
Just look for the JBS logo on the magnet itself. Or else, turn it around and
see if it still sticks to the tank.
--
"Far away is far away only if you don't go there." - O Povo, Fortaleza, Brazil
Flash - dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu - DoD # 412
===============================================================================
Newsgroups rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 25 Jan 93 17:55:52 GMT
Reply-To: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com
ramage@ece.scarolina.edu (Dan Ramage) writes:
>robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Michael Robinson) writes:
>>He claims he saw an old Spagthorpe prototype that had a driven front wheel.
>>It was a water-cooled bike, but instead of a radiator, it had sort of a
>>boiler affair. They ran steam lines down the front forks to a steam
>>turbine in the front hub (the hub apparently looked sort of like a
>>front drum brake type deal). The clever part was the centrifugal vane
>>advance on the turbine which would adjust the vanes for maximum torque
>>when stopped, and maximum power at speed.
>>I was sort of skeptical, but he explained the reasoning behind it: an
>>internal combustion engine is only about 70% efficient, with the rest
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>No where even close. An internal combustion engine is around 30%
>efficient and that is probably a little high.
Is this the net's first serious followup to a Spagthorpe article?
Congratulations on your catch Michael, are you going to mount him in the
den, or just hang him on the wall in your garage?
--
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com BIX:blaine_g
580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108 Favorite road signs:
Dumper of Dirtbikes #46 FJ1200 Winding Road Next 77 Miles
My other motorcycle is a Quadracer Caution: Passing Areas Not Marked
===============================================================================
>From npet 25 Jan 93 17:59:35 GMT
From: npet@bnr.ca (Nick Pettefar)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 25 Jan 93 17:59:35 GMT
Michael Robinson (robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu) wrote:
: I was talking to a friend the other day, and he told me about a motorcycle
: show he went to a while back.
Yes, I've been to one of these. Too many bikes though.
: He claims he saw an old Spagthorpe prototype that had a driven front wheel.
The idea was later stolen by Yamaha for an experimental trail bike. This bike
used a cable drive to the front instead of the steam drive originated by
Spagthorpe. One of the drawbacks of the cable drive is that if the front
brake is applied, the cable drive tries to straighten out - resulting in the
rider being thrown violently from the bike. This was why the design was
limited to dirt-bikes, the riders are (more) used to being thrown from their
bikes and don't complain so much.
: The goal behind the driven front wheel design was similar to that of
: 4-wheel drive cars--increased cornering stability, and better control
: on surfaces with poor traction.
Fine, fine but see above. The steam-powered front-wheeled bike was fairly
dangerous and certainly too dangerous to be used in the States where it's
citisens have that nasty tendency to sue somebody everytime they encounter
even a reasonable amount of danger.
The Spagthorpe was entered in the Ulster Trials but the local Police
confiscated it, thinking it a device of the IRA.
: I was concerned about the effect of the additional unsprung weight in
: the front wheel, but my friend just said, "Hey, it's a Spagthorpe."
: Good point.
Yes, of course. Unsprung weight is a _good_ thing. It helps keep the tyre
on the road and the heavier the weight, the larger the contact patch.
: Apparently these bikes were never made in quantity, because
: the cost of British union steamfitters would have made production bikes
: prohibitively expensive.
This is just provocative right-wing slander.
: --
: Michael Robinson
Nick (the Histo/erical Biker) DoD 1069 Steamfitters & Hackers Union.
M'Lud. "Chuff chuff"
===============================================================================
>From jeq 25 Jan 93 20:11:13 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 25 Jan 93 20:11:13 GMT
blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com writes:
>ramage@ece.scarolina.edu (Dan Ramage) writes:
>>robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Michael Robinson) writes:
>
>>>He claims he saw an old Spagthorpe prototype that had a driven front wheel.
>>>It was a water-cooled bike, but instead of a radiator, it had sort of a
>>>boiler affair. They ran steam lines down the front forks to a steam
>>>turbine in the front hub (the hub apparently looked sort of like a
>>>front drum brake type deal). The clever part was the centrifugal vane
>>>advance on the turbine which would adjust the vanes for maximum torque
>>>when stopped, and maximum power at speed.
>
>>>I was sort of skeptical, but he explained the reasoning behind it: an
>>>internal combustion engine is only about 70% efficient, with the rest
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>No where even close. An internal combustion engine is around 30%
>>efficient and that is probably a little high.
>
>Is this the net's first serious followup to a Spagthorpe article?
>Congratulations on your catch Michael, are you going to mount him in the
>den, or just hang him on the wall in your garage?
All that aside, it's an incorrect followup. Everyone knows that
the JAS engines (not to be confused with JAP engines) had legendarily
high efficiencies, due largely to the cylinder design. Instead of
relying on conventional piston rings (with their attendant frictional
losses) to seal the cylinders, the JAS engines used prelubricated
piston sheaths, made of sheep intestines, to assure a leak-free, low
friction tight fit. (Later revisions of the marque began using
latex sheaths instead, but along with puncture problems that appear
with some synthetic lubricants, the old-timers will tell you
that the natural sheaths just "feel better".
--
Jonathan E. Quist Lachman Technology, Incorporated
jeq@i88.isc.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From blgardne 26 Jan 93 02:14:15 GMT
From: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com (Dances With Bikers)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 26 Jan 93 02:14:15 GMT
jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
>All that aside, it's an incorrect followup. Everyone knows that
>the JAS engines (not to be confused with JAP engines) had legendarily
>high efficiencies, due largely to the cylinder design. Instead of
>relying on conventional piston rings (with their attendant frictional
>losses) to seal the cylinders, the JAS engines used prelubricated
>piston sheaths, made of sheep intestines, to assure a leak-free, low
>friction tight fit.
While you are quite correct on the generalities Jonathan, I believe that
the original design used llama intestines, with the move to sheep
occuring with the production models. I've not yet been able to determine
if the change was required by regulatory agencies, or if it was a simple
cost cutting measure.
--
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com BIX:blaine_g
580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108 Favorite road signs:
Dumper of Dirtbikes #46 FJ1200 Winding Road Next 77 Miles
My other motorcycle is a Quadracer Caution: Passing Areas Not Marked
===============================================================================
>From ranck 26 Jan 93 14:26:36 GMT
From: ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu (Wm. L. Ranck)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 26 Jan 93 14:26:36 GMT
Dances With Bikers (blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com) wrote:
: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
:
: >All that aside, it's an incorrect followup. Everyone knows that
: >the JAS engines (not to be confused with JAP engines) had legendarily
: >high efficiencies, due largely to the cylinder design. Instead of
: >relying on conventional piston rings (with their attendant frictional
: >losses) to seal the cylinders, the JAS engines used prelubricated
: >piston sheaths, made of sheep intestines, to assure a leak-free, low
: >friction tight fit.
: While you are quite correct on the generalities Jonathan, I believe that
: the original design used llama intestines, with the move to sheep
: occuring with the production models. I've not yet been able to determine
: if the change was required by regulatory agencies, or if it was a simple
: cost cutting measure.
I think that change was the result of a successful lobbying effort on
the part of Scots sheep herders. It was much better politically to
avoid getting parts from foreigners.
--
*******************************************************************************
* Bill Ranck ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu *
* Computing Center at Virginia Tech, not Vermont ----------------------^^ *
*******************************************************************************
===============================================================================
>From blgardne 26 Jan 93 01:57:25 GMT
From: blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com (Dances With Bikers)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Outed!
Date: 26 Jan 93 01:57:25 GMT
Ok, so I'm browsing through the new "Cycle World" and what do I see
but a letter to the editor which mentions the Spagthorpe-Peerless.
Shocked and amazed, I check the author's name, reach for The List
and find:
0614:Tom Maloney:RI:tjm@math.ams.org
I'm not quite sure what all this means, but there must be some far-
reaching implications of some sort. Will "Spagthorpe" come to be a
derisive term for collectors of feeble old bikes? Will future
generations of Denizens debate the origin of the term? Will CW claim
credit for it? Will the true and noble meaning of the word be forever
lost? Is there any suitable punishment for this breach of security?
You realize of course Tom, that your royalties from CW must be split
90/10 with Martyn.
--
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland blgardne@javelin.sim.es.com BIX:blaine_g
580 Arapeen Drive, SLC, Utah 84108 Favorite road signs:
Dumper of Dirtbikes #46 FJ1200 Winding Road Next 77 Miles
My other motorcycle is a Quadracer Caution: Passing Areas Not Marked
===============================================================================
>From tony 26 Jan 93 16:18:37 GMT
From: tony@morgan.demon.co.uk (Tony Kidson)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Wartime Spagthorpe
Date: 26 Jan 93 16:18:37 GMT
Spagthorpe News
Seeing reference here to the flying of motorcycles, reminded me of what an
amazing find I made the other day. I was in the Public Records office
looking through some old patents that had recently been de-classified under
the 50-year rule. When I came across the name S. J. Spagthorpe on one of
them. "Could this be...?" I thought and pulled it out to inspect. Indeed it
turned out to be a patent that had been filed by a little known younger
cousin of the Spagthorpe family showing a Motorcycle for landing despatch
riders over the top of troops occupying a beach. It was equipped with what
appeared to be the equivalent of J.A.T.O packs which were not detailed as
they were merely referred to as the subject of another patent. The
accompanying figures clearly outlined a bike based on the pre-war Thunderer
prototype that vas never produced owing to the intervention of hostilities.
The main features seemed to be large flying surfaces either for lift or
control attached to the front suspension which appeared to have a wishbone
spring reinforcing the girder style front fork. Excitedly, I took the
document to be copied and handed it to the clerk. She took it out to the
back, I presumed to copy it. When she returned it was with a grim faced
little man who informed me that the document had been declassified in error
and it would be better for me if I forgot that I had ever seen it. I thought
that I had even better let the net know just in case anything happens to me.
Tony
+-----------------+-------------------------------+--------------------------+
| Tony Kidson |`morgan' is an 8MB 486/33 Cat-| Voice +44 81 466 5127 |
| Morgan Towers, |Warmer with a 670 MB Hard Disk.| E-Mail |
| Morgan Road, |It resides at Morgan Towers in| tony@morgan.demon.co.uk |
| Bromley, |Beautiful Down Town Bromley. | tny@cix.compulink.co.uk |
| England BR1 3QE |Honda ST1100 ==*== DoD# 0801 | 100024.301@compuserve.com|
+-----------------+-------------------------------+--------------------------+
===============================================================================
>From cjackson 26 Jan 93 19:20:11 GMT
From: cjackson@adobe.com (Curtis Jackson)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Wartime Spagthorpe
Date: 26 Jan 93 19:20:11 GMT
tony@morgan.demon.co.uk writes:
}accompanying figures clearly outlined a bike based on the pre-war Thunderer
}prototype that vas never produced owing to the intervention of hostilities.
^^^
}back, I presumed to copy it. When she returned it was with a grim faced
}little man who informed me that the document had been declassified in error
}and it would be better for me if I forgot that I had ever seen it. I thought
}that I had even better let the net know just in case anything happens to me.
As is obvious from your little "vas" instead of "was" slip above, the
little man knew that you were a holdover German spy, and so had good
reason to keep the plans from you. I'll bet you wear one of those
helmets with the big Kaiser spike on top, don't you, Fritz?
"God is obviously on our side; we have the Spagthorpes"
--
Curtis Jackson '91 Black Lab/Blue Heeler "Studley Doright"
cjackson@mv.us.adobe.com '92 Collie/Golden "George"
DoD #721 KotB '91 Hawk GT '81 Maxim 650
"I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead." -- J. Buffett
===============================================================================
>From egreen 27 Jan 93 15:39:04 GMT
From: egreen@East.Sun.COM (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: All-wheel drive???
Date: 27 Jan 93 15:39:04 GMT
In article 289@i88.isc.com, jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
>
>(Later revisions of the marque began using
>latex sheaths instead, but along with puncture problems that appear
>with some synthetic lubricants, the old-timers will tell you
>that the natural sheaths just "feel better".
When you can find one. Unbeknownst to the old timers at the time, the
organic sheaths provided little protection from Accumulated Intake
Destruction Syndrome. AIDS would attack the air, oil, and fuel
filters, eliminating the bike's natural ability to ward off accumulated
grit and spooge from its environment, leading to a complete breakdown
of the motorcycle.
Initially ignored by government authorities who shunned the Spagthorpe
lifestyle, it was not until AIDS began to infect white American male
heterosexual yuppies' motorcycles that research on the problem began in
earnest. As an interem measure, the use of latex piston sheathes was
encouraged. In fact, thousands of these sheaths were distributed
freely at poker runs, Dead concerts, Unicoastal Jousts, and other
haunts of the Spagthorpe enthusiasts.
---
Ed Green, former Ninjaite |I was drinking last night with a biker,
Ed.Green@East.Sun.COM |and I showed him a picture of you. I said,
DoD #0111 (919)460-8302 |"Go on, get to know her, you'll like her!"
(The Grateful Dead) --> |It seemed like the least I could do...
===============================================================================
>From jet 29 Jan 93 09:21:14 GMT
From: jet@boxer.nas.nasa.gov (J. Eric Townsend)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe cited in Cycle World!!
Date: 29 Jan 93 09:21:14 GMT
Letters page:
"Eight is enough
After reading January's
[... much blathering deleted ...]
I hope when I am fortunate enough to have a herd of my own, that I
will not annoy acquaintances by whining about how tough it is to find
parts for the AJS or to keep the Spaghrpe-Peerless, or whatever,
polished."
Tom Maloney
Cranston, Rhode Island"
--
J. Eric Townsend -- jet@nas.nasa.gov -- 415.604.4311 (DoD# 0378)
A CM-5 administration list has been formed. To subscribe, send email to
listserv@boxer.nas.nasa.gov with a body of:
subscribe cm5-managers your_full_name
===============================================================================
>From neal 29 Jan 93 17:21:26 GMT
From: neal@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Neal Howard)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Forwarded from alt.tasteless
Date: 29 Jan 93 17:21:26 GMT
rogerc@discovery.uk.sun.com writes:
>I thought you might like to see this cross-post:
>
>>zonker@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu ( Regis ) writes:
>>That was no ORDINARY performance artist! that was KAREN FINLEY, who
>>lost her NEA grant about a year ago but still does amazing stuff. (in
>>the past few years she's gone beyond her "sticking yams into bodily
>>orifices" thing because it gets in the way of her message, but she's
>>still wonderfully tasteless)
>>
>>(i'm doing this from memory, so there may be a few errors)
>>LET ME TELL YOU HOW I TAKE THE YAMS, I STICK 'EM UP MY GRANNY'S ASS.
>
>Did you read the report of the Spagthorpe Suppository?
Was that the aftermarket replacement seat styled after Catherine the Great's
hobby horse?? I guess Lord Julian was wanting to compete with both the
Harley chrome plated butt rattler and Corbin, but on a grander scale.
8-o
--
Neal Howard '91 XLH-1200 DoD #686 CompuTrac, Inc (Richardson, TX)
doh #0000001200
"Let us learn to dream, gentlemen, and then perhaps
we shall learn the truth." -- August Kekule' (1890)
===============================================================================
>From svoboda 8 Feb 93 23:12:59 GMT
From: svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: CAR PREFERENCE SURVEY (motorcycles) -- Please take the time.
Date: 8 Feb 93 23:12:59 GMT
ad938@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Leonard Stys) writes:
|
|
|Please help me with my assignment by filling out this ENTIRE survey.
|It will only take a couple of minutes and help me out greatly.
|Your name will not be recorded with the survey.
|
|1. SELECT THE TWO FACTORS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU IN THE PURCHASE
| OF A CAR?
|
| Other? (please specify)
Ability to fit several full grown llamas comfortably in the passenger
compartment. Fork gaiters.
|2. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE REGULARLY?
Illegal Alien
| Please specify model:
Spagthorpe ServiCage (Special Dingo Edition).
|3. HOW MANY MILES DO YOU DRIVE EACH DAY?
Unknown. Spagthorpes don't have odometers.
|4. WOULD YOU PREFER TO NEGOTIATE A PRICE FOR A CAR OR HAVE A FIXED PRICE?
|
Fixed.
|
| Why (please specify):
If the car is broken, they should fix it for free, and not require that as
part of the price negotiation.
|5. HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE INSURANCE RATES OF CARS IN YOUR DECISION OF THE
| MODEL YOU PURCHASE?
Insurance?
|6. WHAT IS THE APPROXIMATE PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR A CAR?
I won the `thorpe in a Nude-Skydiving-Jai-Lai game.
|7. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO MOST OFTEN?
Gregorian Chants for Tubers and Legumes.
|8. SELECT THE TYPE OF MAGAZINES YOU READ MOST OFTEN.
|
| Other? (please specify)
Plumbing Products and Aviation Technology, Death Machines of
Imagination/Sportbike Review, and Denizen's Fortnightly (formerly
Doomer Digest) are the only magazines to which I currently subscribe.
Oh, I also get a monthly video linguistics newsletter;
"New Developments in Latin Grammar".
|9. WHICH TELEVISION SHOWS DO YOU WATCH REGULARLY?
1. All Oprah shows involving twelve-toed gay black claustrophobes
2. Home Shopping Network--vertibrate fashions (llamas)
3. C-Span
|10. WHICH TWO ACTIVITIES ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE MOST DURING YOUR LEISURE
| TIME?
|
| Other? (please specify)
Olympic Hex-Wrench Throw (Metric)
Grease Farming
Armored Synchonized Swimming
Velcro
|11. WHAT IS YOUR HIGHEST DEGREE OF EDUCATION?
I have a Master's degree from the Northeastern Upper South-West Virginia
State University of Science and Taxonomy (at Ic), in Helium Classificaton.
|12. WHAT IS YOUR MARITAL STATUS?
|
| Single
| Married
I don't understand the question.
|13. HOW MANY PASSENGERS, OTHER THAN YOURSELF, ARE USUALLY IN YOUR CAR WHEN
| YOU DRIVE?
Just the llama.
|14. WHAT YEAR WERE YOU BORN?
3653. Really.
|15. WHAT IS YOUR SEX?
|
| Male
| Female
That's personal. And stop pigeonholing people like that.
|16. WHERE DO YOU LIVE (city, state)?
Chicago. Indegestion.
Dave Svoboda (svoboda@void.rtsg.mot.com) | "I just can't take
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!) | this weird shit
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!) | before breakfast!"
AMA 583905 DoD #0330 COG 939 (Chicago) | -- Evo Woman
===============================================================================
>From neal 17 Feb 93 20:36:17 GMT
From: neal@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Neal Howard)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic stability
Date: 17 Feb 93 20:36:17 GMT
In article <109872@netnews.upenn.edu> awhite@widget.seas.upenn.edu
(Andrew White)
writes:
>Sorry for the lack of flamage and for starting a new topic!
>
>Anyway, I was reading up on the "theory" of motorcycling and
>countersteering, and I am under the impression that the spinning
>wheels of a motorcycle cause a gyroscopic effect which is what
>allows you to keep your balance on two wheels.
>If this is true, wouldn't it be possible to add a flywheel to
>a bike which would spin while you are at low speed or stopped?
>If done right, you would never have to take your boots off
>the pegs -- the spinning flywheel would keep the bike upright
>when the real wheels were spinning to slowly to allow you
>to balance.
>
>Has this been done?
Lord Julian used such a flywheel on the Spagthorpe "Irish Setter", a bike
he hoped to market in Ireland to those riders who had a bit too much ale
at the local pub and would forget to put their feet down when stopping.
It was a rather ingenious design, with the flywheel (which also had attached a
type of clutch) housed inside a hollow rear wheel (looking much like a
FatBoy's disc rear wheel from a distance, only much thicker). The idea
was that the rider could roll up to a stoplight, disengage the flywheel-
to-rear-wheel clutch and just keep the revs up to keep the machine
standing upright without putting nary a foot down. The only problem was that
the typical biker for whom this design was intended would also forget that
he was still in 4th gear at the stop and would simply engage the clutch,
promptly killing the engine which would then abruptly halt the spinning of
the flywheel, resulting in the bike falling over and breaking the rider's
left leg on the way down (don't ask me why they always fell to the left, I
really don't understand all the fizzicks involved ;-). Needless to say, this
design idea was shelved and the only two Irish Setter prototypes ever built
were most likely dismantled so that the depleted uranium flywheels could be
used to make the transmission cases for Spagthorpe Bulldog.
--
=============================================================================
Neal Howard '91 XLH-1200 DoD #686 CompuTrac, Inc (Richardson, TX)
doh #0000001200 |355o33| neal@cmptrc.lonestar.org
Std disclaimer: My opinions are mine, not CompuTrac's.
"Let us learn to dream, gentlemen, and then perhaps
we shall learn the truth." -- August Kekule' (1890)
=============================================================================
===============================================================================
>From jeq 18 Feb 93 15:22:14 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic stability
Date: 18 Feb 93 15:22:14 GMT
In article irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Irwin
Arnstein) writes:
>I had a 48' Indian that had 2 20 lb flywheels in the engine case
>and one day I tried to get the old hog to lean over to avoid a
>truck and was unsuccessfull. I ended up doing $800 damage to the
>truck, and only scratched the crash bars on the chief!
>
>I don't think a gyroscopic flywheel would be such a great idea, at
>speed its ok since all you do is lean the bike, at slower speeds
>when you might have to crank the bars...well...
The problem here is that you weren't really taking full advantage
of the gyroscopic effect. Add elastic engine mounts, and a CV joint
to the final drive shaft (with fixed bearings on the sprocket side
of the joint), then stick a couple of reaction bars to the engine case.
when you want to lean at low speeds, apply pressure to the reaction
bars (remembering the right hand rule, so you lead/lag the desired
effect by 90 degrees) and the thing pretty much goes where you want
it to. That was the basic technology applied to the Spagthorpe
Pointer, a one off prototype for the Bulldog. Since the intended
user was pretty simple-minded where physics was concerned, though,
the application of pressure to the reaction couplings was controlled
by a pneumatic analog computer. The basic computer design principles
were sound, but the metering orifices were prone to clogging. Lord
Julian Spagthorpe, in an effort to cover the development costs for this
one-off machine, sold the rights to the computer design to a young
Henry Rolls, who converted the basic design to hydraulics, and used
it as an automatic transmission controller. Because of reliability
problems, the concept was shelved in favor of the three-wheeled Bulldog.
One bit of controversy concerning the history of the Pointer was
strangely enough the colour of the thing. Lord Julian wanted to
break with tradition and paint it a bright red. The more conservative
Lord Beamish Spagthorpe was furious, and demanded that the traditional
British Racing Green be used. Portions of the Pointer were repainted,
but the development was halted before this work was completed.
Because of the unique Yuletide color scheme, and because many of
the parts were scavenged from the two Irish Setter prototypes,
Spagthorpe employees were rumoured to refer to the Pointer derisively
as "that bloody Point-Setter".
The rift between Lord Beamish and Lord Julian continued to grow,
however, and aside from some minor consultations and statesmanship
used in the development of the WarDog and Desert Fox, the Pointer marked
Lord Beamish Spagthorpe's last direct involvement in the development
of Spagthorpe motorcycles.
--
Jonathan E. Quist Lachman Technology, Incorporated
jeq@lachman.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From viking 20 Feb 93 11:09:47 GMT
From: viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe vs. Cushman
Date: 20 Feb 93 11:09:47 GMT
standish@lowone.asd.sgi.com (Michael Standish) writes:
> While a '48 Cushman is a proper scooter it is rather agriculteral
>in apearence. Still they're a lot better lokking than any german scooter.
>Besides everyone knows the '56 Spagthorpe blown 2 stroke was the ultimate
>scooter.
Ah yes, the '56 Spagthorpe. I remember drag-racing one of those,
me having an el-primo '48 Cushman with the '50 Husky motor swapped in.
The gearbox had been replaced with a 2-stage centrifugal clutch, all the
better to reduce the lag time when shifting. That old Cushman had a good
40+ mph in her on a remotely decent day. Enter the race:
No shit, there I wuz... My Cushman was idling at the stop light
and here comes an all-black Spagthorpe Dauntless. It was so named because,
with that high-powered supercharged 2-stroke motor and the nimble handling
provided by 8" tires, both the scooter and the rider could not let a
trace of fear into their hearts. Well, that was the line, anyway. I
certainly wasn't afraid -- the Cushman was short on power, but my foe
was wearing aviator goggles and a leather baseball cap, so I knew him
to be a new rider incapable of judging the lights.
When the light turned green, I let off the brake (the motor was
wide open, but the Cushman brake was able to restrain all 5hp) and took
the holeshot. For the next block I watched the Spagthorpe rider kick
his scooter back into life, he having dumped the clutch and not bothered
with getting the motor anywhere above 1500rpm. I was set for a perfect
victory, and visions of champagne and scantily-clad women filled my
eyes. I should have watched the mirrors instead.
Suddenly I was passed by this black streak, and the Cushman
sputtered to a stop. As I sat, wondering what the matter might be, I
was passed by several fire trucks, apparently all headed towards that
inferno three blocks distant. Only later was I able to piece together
what had happend.
The Spagthorpe passing me had created such a vacuum that it
literally sucked the air out of the carburator on my Cushman. This
is what caused it to die. Spagthorpe was never known for incredible
braking, however, and post-accident investigations show that the
belt-drive on the supercharger broke. Thus, the rider closed the
throttle, the supercharger spun free, and at least 30psi of boost
opened the carburator butterfly. This was a known trait on the
supercharged models, but one most riders could live with. The
poor rider of that particular model swerved around obstructions for
three blocks before his wide-open motor dropped a rod and the hot
oil ignited the gasoline tank, which explains the inferno. The rider,
however, merely side-stepped through the EZ-Ryder frame and was unscathed.
There are few surviving examples of this Scooter From Hell, and
perhaps this is as it should me. Had I been able to aquire one, not
only would I have won the race, I wouldn't be here today telling my
tale of losing, and liking it, to a Spagthorpe Dauntless.
< Dan Sorenson, DoD #1066 z1dan@exnet.iastate.edu viking@iastate.edu >
< ISU only censors what I read, not what I say. Don't blame them. >
< USENET: Post to exotic, distant machines. Meet exciting, >
< unusual people. And flame them. >
===============================================================================
>From charlie 21 Feb 93 03:40:26 GMT
From: charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic stability
Date: 21 Feb 93 03:40:26 GMT
In article <1993Feb18.152214.6160@i88.isc.com> jeq@i88.isc.com
(Jonathan E. Quist)
writes:
>
... description of Spagthorpe Pointer saved offline ...
>
>One bit of controversy concerning the history of the Pointer was
>strangely enough the colour of the thing. Lord Julian wanted to
>break with tradition and paint it a bright red. The more conservative
>Lord Beamish Spagthorpe was furious, and demanded that the traditional
>British Racing Green be used. Portions of the Pointer were repainted,
>but the development was halted before this work was completed.
>Because of the unique Yuletide color scheme, and because many of
>the parts were scavenged from the two Irish Setter prototypes,
>Spagthorpe employees were rumoured to refer to the Pointer derisively
>as "that bloody Point-Setter".
It should be noted that this was one of the early prototype models
that had a bright red brake rotor on the left front, and had a British
Racing Green brake rotor on the right front. From experimental evidence
gathered from this chance occurance, the first hypothesis of the principle
of the red/green brake rotor theory was made.
>The rift between Lord Beamish and Lord Julian continued to grow,
>however, and aside from some minor consultations and statesmanship
>used in the development of the WarDog and Desert Fox, the Pointer marked
>Lord Beamish Spagthorpe's last direct involvement in the development
>of Spagthorpe motorcycles.
When Lord Beamish Spagthorpe left the Spagthorpe Werkes, he stored his
personal files in the under-under vault chamber, knowledge of which was
of course confined to just Lord Beamish and Lord Julian. Lord Julian,
naturally did not want any of Lord Beamish's material to see the light
of day, at least in a favorable light. Thus, the initial documentation
of the red/green brake rotor phenomenum was lost to science for these
last several years. It wasn't until riders began to drill their own
brake rotors that more natural light began to be shed upon things, being
as the new drilled rotor holes let considerably more light on things -
aided certainly by their also being lighter, as it were.
It is believed that this new light upon things at the Spagthorpe Werke
helped considerably in the decision made by Lord Julian Spagthorpe to
permit publication of the Engineering Tome related to the red/green
brake rotor theory!
Charlie Smith charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org csmith@dsac.dla.mil whois ces10
DoD #0709 doh #0000000004 & AMA, MOA, RA, Buckey Beemers, BK Ohio V
BMW K1100-LT, R80-GS/PD, R27, Triumph TR6 1KSI=22.85 KotdohL KotWitDoDL
Columbus, Ohio USA
===============================================================================
>From charlie 21 Feb 93 22:48:04 GMT
From: charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Rotary Engines on Motorcycles?
Date: 21 Feb 93 22:48:04 GMT
In article
cstringe@nickel.ucs.indiana.edu (chuck
stringer) writes:
>ericm@microunity.com (Eric Murray) writes:
>| In article <1993Feb18.192038.3050@ringer.cs.utsa.edu>
tortlieb@lonestar.utsa.edu
(Travis J. Ortlieb) writes:
>| >Does anyone know of a motorcycle having a rotary engine?
>|
>| If by 'rotary' you mean 'wankel', there was a Suzuki wankel
>| and a Hercules (really a DKW?) wankel, both made in the mid-70's.
>|
>| If by 'rotary' you mean a radial engine where crank is fixed and
>| the whole engine spins around, there was one made in the 20's. It
>| had a 5-cylinder rotary mounted inside the front wheel (really it
>| made up part of the wheel). To change gearing, you changed to a
>| different sized wheel.
That was the Spagthorpe Indefatiguable, was it not? The Spagthorpe
changed overall gear ratios by altering the pressure in the tire,
causing the tire diameter to change as desired.
>That type of engine was common for aircraft during WW1. The Fokker
>Triplane, Neuiport 11 and Sopwith Pup all used versions of the LeRhone
>rotary. The major drawback to the design was the tremendous gyroscopic
>force generated by all that iron spinning. Castor oil was mixed with
>the fuel as a lubricant causing a humorous side effect, constant
>diarrhea.
The Spagthorpe came first, though. The Spagthorpe used the castor oil
effect to good purpose during long distance endurance races. The castor
oil fog was expelled to the rear (naturally) of the bike, to the great
detriment of competing riders following close behind. This effect was
the cause of numerous unscheduled pit stops on the part of competing
riders.
Charlie Smith charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org KotdohL KotWitDoDL 1KSPI=22.85
DoD #0709 doh #0000000004 & AMA, MOA, RA, Buckey Beemers, BK Ohio V
BMW K1100-LT, R80-GS/PD, R27, Triumph TR6
Columbus, Ohio USA
===============================================================================
>From jeq 22 Feb 93 15:47:09 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic stability
Date: 22 Feb 93 15:47:09 GMT
In article <1993Feb21.034026.8796@elektro.cmhnet.org> charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org
(Charlie Smith) writes:
>In article <1993Feb18.152214.6160@i88.isc.com> jeq@i88.isc.com
(Jonathan E. Quist)
writes:
>>The rift between Lord Beamish and Lord Julian continued to grow,
>>however, and aside from some minor consultations and statesmanship
>>used in the development of the WarDog and Desert Fox, the Pointer marked
>>Lord Beamish Spagthorpe's last direct involvement in the development
>>of Spagthorpe motorcycles.
Observant readers will notice that I misspoke here - in fact, Lord Beamish
was the driving force behind the development of the Bulldog, which post-dated
the Pointer and Setter.
>It is believed that this new light upon things at the Spagthorpe Werke
>helped considerably in the decision made by Lord Julian Spagthorpe to
>permit publication of the Engineering Tome related to the red/green
>brake rotor theory!
I wonder if the red/green thing had anything to do with the Naval background
of the family? Some rumours indicate a bastard connection between
one of Lord Beamish's ancestors and Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B. (the
ruler of the Queen's Navy)...
--
Jonathan E. Quist Lachman Technology, Incorporated
jeq@lachman.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From npet 22 Feb 93 17:15:42 GMT
From: npet@bnr.ca (Nick Pettefar)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic stability
Date: 22 Feb 93 17:15:42 GMT
Charlie Smith, on the Sun, 21 Feb 93 03:40:26 GMT wibbled:
: In article <1993Feb18.152214.6160@i88.isc.com> jeq@i88.isc.com
(Jonathan E. Quist)
writes:
: >
: ... description of Spagthorpe Pointer saved offline ...
: >
: >One bit of controversy concerning the history of the Pointer was
: >strangely enough the colour of the thing. Lord Julian wanted to
: >break with tradition and paint it a bright red. The more conservative
: >Lord Beamish Spagthorpe was furious, and demanded that the traditional
: >British Racing Green be used. Portions of the Pointer were repainted,
: >but the development was halted before this work was completed.
: >Because of the unique Yuletide color scheme, and because many of
: >the parts were scavenged from the two Irish Setter prototypes,
: >Spagthorpe employees were rumoured to refer to the Pointer derisively
: >as "that bloody Point-Setter".
: It should be noted that this was one of the early prototype models
: that had a bright red brake rotor on the left front, and had a British
: Racing Green brake rotor on the right front. From experimental evidence
: gathered from this chance occurance, the first hypothesis of the principle
: of the red/green brake rotor theory was made.
This is pure American Male Cow Manure.
The Red/Green brake _disc_ colourung scheme was introduced on the far earlier
Spagthorpe Rounddog. This was an experimental machine featuring the then
new hydraulic system. Oil was a late addition to the system, they first used
water with special patented release valves to vent the steam when the system
heated up under 'unrestrained' braking.
Demonstrating the machine to a friend of his, the Shah of Imonaq who was
interested in a fleet purchase for his personal police force, Lord Julian
was embarrassed by his friend's remarks about the left disc glowing a bright
red. He quickly ad libbed about their new colour direction coding scheme.
On the pretext of making an urgent telephone call, he ran to the garage and
stopped the rider from riding back until the other disc was painted a glowing
green. This disc's caliper was disconnected so as not to burn the paint, and
the bike was then ridden past the Shah in the opposite direction to show off
the green disc.
Alas, all this was to no avail, as the Shah's brother had shown himself up
as the traitor, he in fact later turned out to be, by acceptong rather a
large bribe and signing up his country up for a large fleet of a rather
old fashioned looking and plain motorbikes manufactured by a relatively new
company called Vincent HRD. (Apparently they were never used and are
reported to be languishing, still in their greased tarpaulin and hemp
packings, in a warehouse somewhere in what was the old empire of Imonaq.
: >The rift between Lord Beamish and Lord Julian continued to grow,
: >however, and aside from some minor consultations and statesmanship
: >used in the development of the WarDog and Desert Fox, the Pointer marked
: >Lord Beamish Spagthorpe's last direct involvement in the development
: >of Spagthorpe motorcycles.
: When Lord Beamish Spagthorpe left the Spagthorpe Werkes, he stored his
: personal files in the under-under vault chamber, knowledge of which was
: of course confined to just Lord Beamish and Lord Julian. Lord Julian,
: naturally did not want any of Lord Beamish's material to see the light
: of day, at least in a favorable light. Thus, the initial documentation
: of the red/green brake rotor phenomenum was lost to science for these
: last several years. It wasn't until riders began to drill their own
: brake rotors that more natural light began to be shed upon things, being
: as the new drilled rotor holes let considerably more light on things -
: aided certainly by their also being lighter, as it were.
Is the word 'Werkes' some kind of strange Americanism? The famous
Spagthorpe Motorbike Works was known throughout our land as one of the
finest places of fair employment to attend. Often they gave the workers
the opportunity of working extra hours for the exchange of a Sunday
afternoon off, and The Work's restaurant was reputed to sell only the
finest spam, tripe and spotted-dick.
During the Second World War, The Works was hit by a doodle-bug which
penetrated through to the foundations of the building, turning the contents
of the vaults into expensive rubble. At least, this was the findings of the
exploration team, headed by the brave Lord Julian himself, after utilising
nearby potholes to access the vaults as the ruins of The Works were far too
dangerous to venture into. Thus the extent of Lord Beamish's involvement
with the
Only recently have the vaults been uncovered. Upon doing so, the patented
details (The London originals were lost in the midst of one of the fiercest
battles in The Blitz) were uncovered, and motorcycle manufacture all around
the world were horrified to find that they had, albeit unintentionally,
violating the Spagthorpe Patented Disc Braking System. The way around this,
as worked out by a United Nations Patent Infringement Committee Keeping,
(UNPICK), was to change the details of the system by various fenestrations
of the disc. Hence the various holes that have appeared in all discs for
the last ten years or so. Lord Julian's daughter, Lady Diana, has been
receiving, rightfully, the monies due from the royalties, and is now at
last able to start reviving the famous Spagthorpe marque. I will post
details as they become available.
: It is believed that this new light upon things at the Spagthorpe Werke
: helped considerably in the decision made by Lord Julian Spagthorpe to
: permit publication of the Engineering Tome related to the red/green
: brake rotor theory!
Another American rumoUr. Somebody obviously read one press report too many.
Admittedly the press were present when Lord Julian made his face-saving
remark about the glowing disc, but the family thought that they had managed
to quash any reportage of this particular incident in the time-honoured
British non-censoring style, so typical of First World War press releases:-
"Casualties, what casualties?"
Obviously there was a foreign reporter present, probably an immoral American.
--
Nick (the Histerical Biker) DoD 1069 Concise Oxford Large BMW
M'Lud.
0) \
[]\_ \
___[}__/-]
/----\\ =/\_
OO00oo...=/_\_#|[_]/\\
\_________\_/______\_/________________________________________________________/
Like so many Americans, she was trying | Nick Pettefar, Contractor@Large.
to construct a life that made sense | Currently incarcerated at BNR,
from things she found in gift shops. | Maidenhead, The United Kingdom.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. | '86 BMW K100RS "Kay"
\________________________________________|____________________________________/
All opinions expressed by the entity Nick Pettefar are just that, his
opinions. The fool upon the stage is having his hour, dust awaits...
\_____________________________________________________________________________/
===============================================================================
>From jeq 22 Feb 93 16:50:43 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe vs. Cushman
Date: 22 Feb 93 16:50:43 GMT
In article carlp@frigg.isc-br.com
(Carl Paukstis) writes:
>viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
>
>> No shit, there I wuz... My Cushman was idling at the stop light
>>and here comes an all-black Spagthorpe Dauntless. It was so named because,
>>with that high-powered supercharged 2-stroke motor and the nimble handling
>>provided by 8" tires, both the scooter and the rider could not let a
>>trace of fear into their hearts. Well, that was the line, anyway. I
>
>Phtweet! Paradigm shift! 15 yards from the point of the infraction,
>loss of down, and you get charged for a 20-second timeout, even though
>you don't get to take one.
>
>Anybody see a "Dauntless" breed in the Westminster show on ESPN a
>couple of weeks ago? Maybe there's no _rules_, but geez, if we can't
>keep the lore straight we've all degenerated to savagery and there is
>no Dog. Pretty soon we'll have metric bolts and inline 4-cyl motors.
>Sheesh.
>
>I recommend that the word "Dauntless" be replaced by the word
>"Airedale" (a dauntless breed if ever there was one) in everyone's
>collective memory of the above-referenced article.
Actually, I believe the "Dauntless" referred to is, in fact, a variant
of the Spagthorpe Yorkie, which was for years a popular scooter line.
The Dauntless, in fact, may have been a works racing machine, though
I've lost track of all my information on the Yorkie. If any of it
was posted, someone please let me know; it's not in my archives.
I _do_ have a crude pencil sketch of the Yorkie, though it's been
temporarily misplaced. From what I recall, the unique part of the
design was that it had a single-tube tubular frame, and some sort of
truly bizarre backwards Earles front suspension. I'll post more
information if I find it.
--
Jonathan E. Quist Lachman Technology, Incorporated
jeq@lachman.com '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094 Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From npet 23 Feb 93 17:52:18 GMT
From: npet@bnr.ca (Nick Pettefar)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe vs. Cushman
Date: 23 Feb 93 17:52:18 GMT
Jonathan E. Quist, on the Mon, 22 Feb 1993 16:50:43 GMT wibbled:
: In article carlp@frigg.isc-br.com
(Carl Paukstis) writes:
: >viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson) writes:
: >
: >> No shit, there I wuz... My Cushman was idling at the stop light
: >>and here comes an all-black Spagthorpe Dauntless. It was so named because,
: >>with that high-powered supercharged 2-stroke motor and the nimble handling
: >>provided by 8" tires, both the scooter and the rider could not let a
: >>trace of fear into their hearts. Well, that was the line, anyway. I
: >
: >Phtweet! Paradigm shift! 15 yards from the point of the infraction,
: >loss of down, and you get charged for a 20-second timeout, even though
: >you don't get to take one.
: >
: >Anybody see a "Dauntless" breed in the Westminster show on ESPN a
: >couple of weeks ago? Maybe there's no _rules_, but geez, if we can't
: >keep the lore straight we've all degenerated to savagery and there is
: >no Dog. Pretty soon we'll have metric bolts and inline 4-cyl motors.
: >Sheesh.
: >
: >I recommend that the word "Dauntless" be replaced by the word
: >"Airedale" (a dauntless breed if ever there was one) in everyone's
: >collective memory of the above-referenced article.
: Actually, I believe the "Dauntless" referred to is, in fact, a variant
: of the Spagthorpe Yorkie, which was for years a popular scooter line.
: The Dauntless, in fact, may have been a works racing machine, though
: I've lost track of all my information on the Yorkie. If any of it
: was posted, someone please let me know; it's not in my archives.
: I _do_ have a crude pencil sketch of the Yorkie, though it's been
: temporarily misplaced. From what I recall, the unique part of the
: design was that it had a single-tube tubular frame, and some sort of
: truly bizarre backwards Earles front suspension. I'll post more
: information if I find it.
Digging through some old books at the Science Museum Library, one rainy day
in London, I came across the following (badly written) article concerning the
Yorkie scooter. I copied it for future interest and, prompted by Mr. Quist's
curiosity, I dug it out. Unfortunately, a bottle of linseed oil (used for
oiling cricket bats and other small furry sporting creatures) had been spilt
on it and all the pictures and diagrams were ruined. The following are some
relevant bits which wre still readable...
Name: Yorkie
Manufacturer: Spagthorpe Motorbike Works, Dulwin-on-Marsh, Ipsley.
Type: Scooter.
Fuel: Users choice. Primarily petrol and castor-oil.
Colour: Black, chrome and grey with BRG detailing.
Power: Variable, depends on fuel type. 25-175BHP.
Taxation class: Bicycle.
Options: Sidecar, gun-mounts (MOD use only), skids, high output
generator, candy-floss whipper (very popular at fairs)
extra lighting, race fairing, etc.
Weight: 19 stone.
Performance: Variable, depends on tuning and fuel. Known to top 170MPH!
Transmission: Belt-drive. Centrifugal clutch with Castor-oil hydraulic
semi-automatic gear-changing system - Spagthorpe Half
Integral Transmission system (S.H.I.T.)
Passengers: Two, plus rider. Seperate, heated seats are provided.
Tyres: Avlop: A Stickwell on the rear and a Gripright on the front.
Electrics: The Yorkie was the first Spagthorpe to feature the famous
SWEAT system. (Spagthorpe Wireless ElectricAl Transmission).
The Magneto's output was transmitted through a special aerial
and devices requiring electricity used the Spagthorpe
Condenser Aerial Receiver crYstal systems (SCARY) for their
feed. The riders had to ensure that they wore no metal as
the induced current could cause severe local heat problems.
Engine: The Yorkie used a contra-rotating pair of rotary engines,
turning in a bath of castor oil. Sparking plugs were
connected to the ignition system by means of contacts on
the inside of the motor housing whenever the rotary engine
was in the correct position in its cycle, thus eliminating
the need for a distributor, timing system and HT leads and
sparking plug caps. The whole motor was supercharged by an
early version of the supercharger used later on by Rolls
Royce for the Merlin engine used in Spitfires, Lancasters,
etc. The engine was robust enough to use all manner of fuel
types but castor oil had to be added to the fuel to lubricate
the rotating pistons, con-rods and bearings.
Chassis: The frame was made from a single tube, about two foot in
diameter. Various sections were cut out to allow the rider,
wheels and engine unit to be accommodated. This system is
unique and made the whole machine resemble a "Flash Gordon"
type of rocket.
Suspension: Reverse Earles-Fork, as pioneered by the Spagthorpe Greyhound
series. Braking caused the front-end to rise and thus put
more pressure on the rear and allowing the rear brake to be
more effective. Discontinued shortly afterwards due in no
small way to the outcome of the famous Lord Davenport crash
inquiry when he sued the Spagthorpe Company after flipping
his Greyhound completely over during a spot of emergency
breaking.
Carburation: Anal Gasper, two and a half inch bore with exterior jets.
Side tickler and float chamber glass were optional.
As I said before, the diagrams and pictures are now unreadable. Sorry
--
Nick (the Histerical Biker) DoD 1069 Concise Oxford Cricket Bats
M'Lud.
0) \
[]\_ \
___[}__/-]
/----\\ =/\_
OO00oo...=/_\_#|[_]/\\
\_________\_/______\_/________________________________________________________/
Like so many Americans, she was trying | Nick Pettefar, Contractor@Large.
to construct a life that made sense | Currently incarcerated at BNR,
from things she found in gift shops. | Maidenhead, The United Kingdom.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. | '86 BMW K100RS "Kay"
\________________________________________|____________________________________/
All opinions expressed by the entity Nick Pettefar are just that, his
opinions. The fool upon the stage is having his hour, dust awaits...
\_____________________________________________________________________________/
===============================================================================
>From chris 25 Feb 93 02:53:35 GMT
From: chris@elwood.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (Chris Bracken)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: RE: Snow Riding Qstn.
Date: 25 Feb 93 02:53:35 GMT
As a former resident of Canada, I would concur, UNLESS one were riding
the Spagthorpe MK 7/W. The "slash W" was well known for its ability to
handle the worst climatic conditions, having been designed for H.M.
Royal Nepalese Messenger Corps in the Great War. Directional stability
was provided by the lockdown stands, situated under the dispatch bags at
the stern. These provided an 'outrigger' effect, surpassing even the BMW
wheeled cylinder heads (used by the German KoldPlazGruppe) in keeping
the machine upright. The famous "Lobster Claw" fork, so well described
it Fitzworth-Jones's "Thunder in the Himalayas", performed equally well
under wet, dry or icy conditions. Cold weather had no effect on the
reknowned Spag engine; the rider had to modify his starting drill only
slightly, firstly to keep a supply of charcoal ( or yak droppings ) in
the crankcase preheater tray, and secondly to be prepared for the
slightly increased number of kicks to get the crankshaft through the
cold castor oil in the pan. The electrics were designed to be
maintained, and were often the subject of earnest discussion amongst the
fitters. An interesting side note is that the entire electrical design
team eventually moved on to Lucas, and many of the designs upon which
that firms reputation rests came from the old Spagthorpe crew.
One of the little slip-ups so common in the confusion of wartime
resulted in a consignment of slash W's being shipped to the Arabian
desert. Despite their orientation towards a cold climate, these machines
were pressed into service, and lived up to their well-deserved
reputation for comfort and reliability. As recently as 1956, one could
be seen providing solid transport and exercise for messengers at the
fort. ( I am indebted to Fitworth-Jones's "Chains in the Sand" for the
above information ).
Will we ever see its equal? I, for one, doubt it....
--
Chris Bracken
XLNT Designs Inc., 15050 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128
619-487-9320
ucsd!xlnt!chris or ucsd!chris@xlnt.com
===============================================================================
>From jsloan 25 Feb 93 15:09:04 GMT
From: jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu (John Sloan)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Shepherd
Date: 25 Feb 93 15:09:04 GMT
Last Saturday some of the Colorado Denizenry got together at
Coopersmith's microbrewery in Fort Collins. As occasionally happens, the
topic of motorcycles came up, and we started discussing the Spagthorpe
Shepherd. This, as you may recall, was the police bike that was briefly
considered by the LAPD back in the late '40s before losing out to the
Harley FLH-based cop bike.
What is generally not well known is that after they lost the
competitive evaluation with the LAPD, some of the original Shepherds
ended up in the hands of the Hollywood studios, where they appeared in
several films. The beautifully restored K-9s (as they were
affectionately known at the time) were frequently called upon to serve
in movies of the 50's, 60's and 70's.
Just recently I found myself watching the classic John Wayne 1954
action film _Their Blood Ran Red_ (*** in Maltin's book) on the AMC
cable channel, in which the Duke was typically miscast (IMHO) as Marion
McMorrison, a Scottish-born motorcycle courier for the British Army
during WWII. I was delighted to recognize a '49 Shepherd repainted
olive drab and serving as the Duke's courier bike (somewhat
anachronistically I might add... a '44 Spagthorpe War Mastif, which
briefly saw service on the European front during the second world war,
would have been more apropos, but I'm not sure any of that vintage
survived intact even in 1954).
If you've seen the movie, you may recall the particular scene where the
Duke is a motorcycle courier for the Allies behind enemy lines in
France, riding alone at night in blackout conditions. Without a
headlight to guide him, and riding at high speeds (carrying defense
plans concerning the Maginot Line), he was navigating the twisty rutted
dirt roads of the rural countryside mostly by dead reckoning. The
climax to the scene occurs when the Duke races across a narrow bridge
completely unaware that there is a British Leopard-class tank, also
blacked out, entering the bridge from the opposite side. The sound of the
tank drowned out by the engine of the Spagthorpe, the first clue that
McMorrison has that something is amiss is the sudden vision of a huge
armored vehicle looming out of the darkness just a few feet away
as he rocketed towards it at more than 40MPH across the narrow bridge,
with no possible escape route.
SPOILERS!!!
Just before impact, the POV switches to inside the tank, where the
British crew can hear the motorcycle coming at them, and immediately
realizing what is about to occur, they frantically try to open the top
hatch so that they can try to warn the rider. This is interrupted by a
tremendous, deafening crash (off screen), and the tank crew have this
sick look on their faces as the multi-ton vehicle rocks back and forth on
its tracks and idler wheels. They open the top hatch, only to find
Wayne standing on the turret, shouting down to them in a some facsimile
of a Scottish brogue/western drawl: "Is everyone all right down there?!?!?!"
Well, maybe you had to see the whole movie. But it was a good portrayal
of the typical pluckishness of the military motorcycle couriers, some
of which did in fact ride Spagthorpe War Mastifs during the close of
the war.
Another use of a restored Shepherd, this time properly liveried as a
police bike, occurred in the Elvis Presley's only film noir movie, the
1959 _Dark Gumshoe_, in which the King plays a private detective, with
a young Mary Tyler Moore playing a female motorcycle cop and serving as
love interest. A little known fact is that Presley purchased the
Spagthorpe used in the film from the studio upon completion of the
movie, and it remained in his extensive motorcycle collection until his
death, at which time its whereabouts became unknown. This is a much sought
after collector's piece, now, and its value is virtually uncalculatable.
Rumor has it Presley would disguise himself as a motorcycle policeman
and ride the Shepherd off his Graceland estate and patrol the town of
Memphis in cognito, often delighting young women with an autograph
after pulling them over.
A more recent appearance of a Spagthorpe Shepherd, this time in mufti
(beautiful British Racing Green with gold pinstripes), was on the movie
poster for the 1968 Steve McQueen film _Graveyard Ponies_. If you've
seen the film, you know that McQueen rode a Norton, but apparently the
artist for the poster thought this was too tame, and substituted the
Spagthorpe, probably working solely from photographs from the studio
archive. By the way, this showed up as a question in the motorcycle
edition of Trivial Pursuit: "Movie posters for GRAVEYARD PONIES showed
Steve McQueen riding what famous British motorcycle?" You have no excuse
for missing it now.
I haven't seen any of the Shepherds in any film dated after 1971. Just
this past year I wrote several Hollywood studios, as well as LA prop
supply houses, trying to trace whatever happened to the Spagthorpes,
with no luck. They could be sitting in a dusty warehouse, somehow lost
on the inventory sheet. They could have been scrapped. Or they could be
in possession of a private collector. My wife and I took the back lot
tour at the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando this past summer, in the vain
hope of spotting a Spag. We saw a lot of neat things (including one of
of the "spinner" flying cars from the movie _Bladerunner_), but those
classic Spagthorpe Shepherds, darlings of the silver screen, where no
where to be found.
--
John Sloan "Since I've given up hope, +1 303 497 1243
NCAR/SCD I feel much better." Fax +1 303 497 1137
Boulder CO 80307-3000 USA jsloan@ncar.ucar.edu
Logical Disclaimer: belong(opinions,jsloan). belong(opinions,_):-!,fail.
===============================================================================
>From heathman 25 Feb 93 22:17:11 GMT
From: heathman@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Michael Heathman)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: New Harley
Date: 25 Feb 93 22:17:11 GMT
I found the following interesting tidbit while idly scanning
alt.fan.star.trek.tng.ensign.weasely.crusher.die.die.die.die today.
I thought some of you might have more information.
quinn@thor.xraylith.wisc.edu writes:
> I've heard a rumour through my sources in the UK that Harley is coming
>out with a new sport bike for the masses. Apparently Harris is building the
>frame with some help from Arturo Magni. The engine is derived from the
>current evo sportster mill, with some rather dramatic changes. Water-cooling
>and 4-valve heads of course, but they're using some new form of desmochromic
>valve actuation that is supposed to be really brilliant. Some chap named
>Spagthorpe is behind it apparently. Seems to be derived from some old
>mud-valve technology that noone's looked at in ages.
> I had seen a cutaway picture of the engine design in Sport Bike, but
>when I tried to find it to scan it in some Toyota truck ad got in the way.
>Oh well. Any conjecture on how this relates to Patrick Stewart's contract for
>TNG? I'm betting that our hero Weaselly will get command of the old
>Enterprise once Picard's out of the way. I just can't shake the feeling that
>this new Harley is involved somehow.
> Anyone heard anything about this?
Just FYI,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Mike Heathman VX800 - Briar Rose DoD #0284 -
- Lilly Research T500 - Titan (Awaiting Resurrection) -
- Indianapolis, IN "Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far? -
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
>From car377 26 Feb 93 21:58:13 GMT
From: car377@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (charles.a.rogers)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Was: 100bhp limit - now guns'n'bikes.
Date: 26 Feb 93 21:58:13 GMT
egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher) writes:
In article 4s0@fulcrum.co.uk, rct@fulcrum.co.uk (Richard Taylor) writes:
>
> >Guns were, and are, expressly designed to maim or kill. Target
> >practice is just that - practice for killing, be it birds, humans,
> >etc.
>
> This statement is so utterly idiotic it is ludicruous.
The autumn day dawned chilly and bleak, and a steady, cold wind blew
out of the north, presaging a bitter winter as the Clan Rock Marmot
gathered in the lee of a rocky outcropping. The little sunlight that
filtered through the oppressive grey cloud cover offered no warmth, and
served only to highlight the gaunt visages of the scruffy, malnourished men.
The food gathering had gone poorly, and many were feeling in their bowels
the gnawing of hunger that would only grow worse with the coming snows.
The long-tooth cat had long scoured any trace of hole-dwellers from
this valley, and the jumpers were too agile and fleet for the slower
Neanderthals to succeed often in their capture.
The clan's leader, Thag, levered himself erect with a suppressed groan,
and facing the assembled men, voiced the thought he hoped would lift them
out of their despair, if only for a few moment's respite from their grim
misery: "Come, let us contest against each other with our throwing sticks!
Gruk has fashioned this object of leaves and twigs at which we may aim our
sticks. Come, who can throw better than me? I challenge you all!" The
various members dragged themselves slowly erect and reached for their
sharpened throwing sticks as Gruk hobbled away some distance and placed the
target upright on the crest of a small rise.
Each man in turn heaved his throwing stick toward the target. When all
had finished, Thag awarded the man demonstrating the most accurate shot the
bestowal of an honor-talisman, a 5-pound smooth river stone which, in the
cultural imperatives of the Clan Rock Marmot, was an object of great
significance and commanded much respect. Close inspection of the men
would have revealed that each carried a leathern sack whose purpose
was to contain the honor-talisman stones, and some of the men were so
laden as to assure their rank for years to come. Then there was
Og. Og's honor-talisman pouch was vacant, for try as he might, Og
was unable to achieve throwing stick accuracy equal to even the greenest
beginner. In point of fact, Og's most recent shot had sailed clear
over the target and disappeared behind the small rise, accompanied
by much shaking of heads and skyward glances among the other men.
Og hobbled off over the rise to retrieve the errant throwing stick
as the other men immersed themselves in discussion over technical
minutae concerning whose stick had broken which leaf in the target.
All were engrossed in this conversation, and thus it was that only
Grak (whose honor-talisman pouch had attained such respectable size
and weight that his efforts in the contests had perforce decreased
so that he might not render himself immobile with honor) noticed
when Og stumbled back over the rise, struggling futilely to extract
his throwing stick from the side of the now-deceased jumper in which
it had embedded itself. In a loud voice, Og uttered the words that
were to ring down through all recorded time: "Hey! Look what Og do!"
The rest, of course, is history.
> I suppose you think all martial arts training is just practice to beat
> somebody up?
Sure, at least for the "hard" arts. What other use is there for all those
kicks and punches? They're designed to impact on peoples' bodies. Why
do we specify kick & punch targets as "face-level" or "solar-plexus-level"?
Maybe we should take a cue from the gunners and practice poking holes in
circular paper targets using punches with devastating "stopping power",
eh?
Relevance to motorcycles? Oh yeah, well remember the target fashioned
of leaves and twigs? Gruk, who was very wise in the ways of new
syntax, had christened the device a "sporpe". However, those who
labor long and hard in the hallowed halls of R&D know that it is
the *managers* whose names are often attached to significant creations.
Thus it is that Gruk vanished into the mists of time, while it was
the clan leader who eventually received credit for the new invention.
Ergo, the Thagsporpe.
:-)
Chuck "No Shame" Rogers
car377@torreys.att.com
car377@cbnewsj.att.com
===============================================================================
>From karish 28 Feb 93 08:08:54 GMT
From: karish@gondwana.Stanford.EDU (Chuck Karish)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Gyroscopic stability
Date: 28 Feb 93 08:08:54 GMT
In article <1993Feb23.122128.14961@elektro.cmhnet.org>
charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith) writes:
>Earlier, Irwin Arnstein recollected:
>>
>> When they added the nuclear reactor it was renamned the Spagthorpe
>> Airdale. Unfortunately the test rider died from radiation burns because
>> the Indian seat lacked lead sheilding.
>
>But wasn't that one of the design trade offs? I understood the Airdale
>used the brehmstralung (sp?) radiation piped through fiber optics to
Brehmstrallung, I think.
>augment the headlight illumination. As I recall, the major difficulty
>experienced was that, of course, the wavelength of the brehmstralung
>radiation resulted in blue light.
That's Cerenkov radiation. Brehmstrallung produces a tunable
spectrum. The wavelength depends on the energy of the particles
being accelerated and the radius of the curve through their beam
is being bent. While the jury's still out on the effects the
accelerator's magnetic field had on the rider, the
effect on the steel and cast iron structure of the Spagthorpe
Airedale was immediate and dramatic. To say nothing of the
effect a very bright beam of hard X-rays had on the eyes of
the oncoming motorists!
Consequently, other motorists got
>a bad case of cruiseritis and drove 2 MPH under the speed limit, resulting
>in hopelessly blocked roads. The resultant effects of this are still
>seen today around the central London area!
>
>Also, it should be remembered that the Lord Julian G. Spagthorpe's guidance
>to his designers was that the rider should be regarded as mature enough to
>assess his own risks in doing things such as riding motorcycles. Along with
>Lord Julian's continued campaign, together with MAG, against attempts to put
>helmet laws into effect, Lord Julian believed that riders of the Airdale
>would understand their own exposure to risk, along with exposure to radiation,
>and would wear lead lined shorts if they deemed them necessary. I understand
>that a pair of one-size-fits-all lead lined shorts covers - with velcro
>attachments - were included in the factory supplied toolkit with the Airdale.
>
>
>Charlie Smith charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org KotdohL KotWitDoDL 1KSPI=22.85
> DoD #0709 doh #0000000004 & AMA, MOA, RA, Buckey Beemers, BK Ohio V
> BMW K1100-LT, R80-GS/PD, R27, Triumph TR6
> Columbus, Ohio USA
>
Chuck Karish karish@mindcraft.com
(415) 323-9000 x117 karish@pangea.stanford.edu
===============================================================================
>From leavitt 1 Mar 93 03:26:16 GMT
From: leavitt@cs.umd.edu (Mr. Bill)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Airdale (was Re: Gyroscopic stability)
Date: 1 Mar 93 03:26:16 GMT
Earlier, Irwin Arnstein recollected:
IA> When they added the nuclear reactor it was renamned the Spagthorpe
IA> Airdale. Unfortunately the test rider died from radiation burns because
IA> the Indian seat lacked lead sheilding.
charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith) writes:
CS>But wasn't that one of the design trade offs? I understood the Airdale
CS>used the brehmstralung (sp?) radiation piped through fiber optics to
karish@gondwana.Stanford.EDU (Chuck Karish) replies:
CK> Brehmstrallung, I think.
Gosh, you guys don't have a spell checker decent enough to include
bremsstrahlung? Oye!!
CS>augment the headlight illumination. As I recall, the major difficulty
CS>experienced was that, of course, the wavelength of the brehmstralung
CS>radiation resulted in blue light.
CK>That's Cerenkov radiation.
I've observed bremsstrahlung radiation on a photographic plate exhibiting
a blue wavelength not unlike that of cerenkov radiation. It may have been
a property of the plate itself, of course.
CK>Brehmstrallung produces a tunable
CK>spectrum. The wavelength depends on the energy of the particles
CK>being accelerated and the radius of the curve through their beam
CK>is being bent. While the jury's still out on the effects the
CK>accelerator's magnetic field had on the rider, the
Bremsstrahlung radiation is rather directionally dependent, and depending
upon the efficiency of the "gamma hose" that Lord Julian employed and
the location of the bremsstrahlung target material, this radiation would
have caused the rider relatively little concern. It was the primary
reactor that caused the problems with the Airdale's development.
Of course, my interpretation of the treatise on the Airdale was that
Lord Julian utilized the fiber optics originally to pick off cerenkov
radiation from the core to pipe forward for headlight illumination.
Of course, nobody at the time knew that neutron radiation would cause
darkening of the optics, causing the headlight to become dim and useless
after but a few month's usage. [aside: A young engineer named Lucas
worked awhile on this project, and he thought this was precisely the way
the system should have worked, but with standard electrical circuitry.
He was subsequently sacked by Lord Julian himself shortly thereafter.]
The trade-off mentioned in the treatise, along with limited lead shielding,
was that Lord Julian wanted to add a separate small electron accelerator
to produce the bremsstrahlung radiation for the headlamp, but due to weight
concerns and cost overruns, the idea was shelved indefinitely.
CS>Lord Julian believed that riders of the Airdale would understand
CS>their own exposure to risk, along with exposure to radiation, and
CS>and would wear lead lined shorts if they deemed them necessary.
For the US import model, the federal Department of Transportation was to
require a copy of 10 CFR 20, Standards for Protection Against Radiation,
to be included with the owner's manual of all Airdales. Bloody killjoys!
Mr. Bill
--
+ Bill Leavitt, #224 + '82 CBX "White Lightning", '82 GS850G "Suzibago" +
+ leavitt@cs.umd.edu + '76 CJ360 "Little Honda", '68 Lone Star "Sick Leave" +
+ DoD AMA ICOA NIA + '69 Impala convertible "The Incredible Hulk", others +
+ "Hmmm, I thought bore and stroke *was* the technique!" Michael Bain, #757 +
===============================================================================
>From npet 3 Mar 93 14:54:01 GMT
From: npet@bnr.ca (Nick Pettefar)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Spagthorpe Shepherd
Date: 3 Mar 93 14:54:01 GMT
Jon Wright, on the Tue, 2 Mar 1993 19:27:50 GMT wibbled:
: John Sloan writes
: > What is generally not well known is that after they lost the
: > competitive evaluation with the LAPD, some of the original Shepherds
: > ended up in the hands of the Hollywood studios, where they appeared in
: > several films. The beautifully restored K-9s (as they were
: > affectionately known at the time) were frequently called upon to serve
: > in movies of the 50's, 60's and 70's.
: <>
:They didn't happen to use this bike in the last Indiana Jones movie, did they?
:The scene from the Duke's movie reminds me of the scenes with Harrison Ford,
:Sean Connery in sidecar, escaping a German tank or something.
: --
: Jon Wright "Now how the hell did Pages Software Inc.
: DoD #0823 THAT come outa my mouth?" '86 VFR700f2
And also the sidecar outfit in Three Stupid Men And A Precocious
Little Girl. I originally thought that it was a badly disguised Honda
Wetdream, but on replaying the tape, I realise that it was in fact a
Spagthorpe. Honda copied the entire design in their Wetdream line. I
bet that the Spagthorpe estate didn't get a single penny in royalties,
either.
--
Nick (the Indignant Biker) DoD 1069 Concise Oxford Janes Motorcycles
M'Lud. 0) \
[]\_ \
___[}__/-]
/----\\ =/\_
OO00oo...=/_\_#|[_]/\\
\_________\_/______\_/________________________________________________________/
Like so many Americans, she was trying | Nick Pettefar, Contractor@Large.
to construct a life that made sense | Currently incarcerated at BNR,
from things she found on the Home | Maidenhead, The United Kingdom.
Shopping Channel ~ Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. | '86 BMW K100RS "Kay"
\________________________________________|____________________________________/
All opinions expressed by the entity Nick Pettefar are just that, his
opinions. The fool upon the stage is having his hour, dust awaits...
\_____________________________________________________________________________/
===============================================================================
>From svoboda 5 Mar 93 21:35:08 GMT
From: svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Pagan motorcyclists (was: Christian MC Club's in the USA?)
Date: 5 Mar 93 21:35:08 GMT
In article <1n51nsINNemq@life.ai.mit.edu>
benjamin@rice-chex.ai.mit.edu (Benjamin
Renaud) writes:
|
|You know, you can make all the fun
|you want of the Agnostic Motorcyclist Association and we won't come
|and get ya!
Hey, yeah! I saw your ad in the latest issue of, um, I don't remember,
maybe the SOG newsletter (Spagthorpe Owners Group--not sure which one of
you signed me up, but thanks) or maybe "Iron Dog". Anyway, it was a
picture of a rearview mirror, the unique and unmistakable rainbow
refraction mirror of a Spagthorpe Chow, showing Jesus, Mohammed, Bhudda,
and Moses, with the label, "Objects in mirror are much farther than they
appear".
Dave Svoboda (svoboda@void.rtsg.mot.com) | "I just can't take
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!) | this weird shit
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!) | before breakfast!"
AMA 583905 DoD #0330 COG 939 (Chicago) | -- Evo Woman
===============================================================================
>From svoboda 7 Mar 93 20:30:43 GMT
From: svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Your experience with Ducati ....
Date: 7 Mar 93 20:30:43 GMT
In article <1n7ug7INNk6v@dns1.NMSU.Edu> mcrider@acca.nmsu.edu (Mcrider) writes:
|
|Was it quirky? Absolutely! I was probably the only person in the
|world who somehow just *knew* how to start the little beast. The
|rear wheel spokes needed constant tuning due to the lack of a rear
|suspension. I won't even discuss the vibration or the bizarre
|electrical system that I suspected was designed by Nicola Tesla.
Now, watch it there. Don't be badmouthing NT's ability to produce workable
motorcycle electrical systems, when you obviously don't know the first thing
about it.
In fact, Nikola Tesla did have a project relating to MC electicals, in the
form of a brief collabaration between the inventor and a young Julian
Spagthorpe on an early prototype of the Spagthorpe Sheltie scooter, first
built in 1903. In addition to the rotarian valves, and the unique fuel
delivery system on it's five-and-a-half cylinder methane-burning engine
(the system took advantage of the fact that motor vehicles shared the
road with many horses--it was called "Scoopercharging"), the Sheltie had
no on-board electrical system whatsoever. Instead, the battery, coils,
condensers, and wiring was all contained in a unit which stayed home, and
the carefully modulated and times signals were beamed to the motorcycle
by the way of a large superstructure in the back yard (first prototyped
at Wardenclyff, Long Island) and a unique toroidal antenna mounted on the
back of the cycle. When at full throttle, the antenna would emanate an
eerie blue glow which streamed backwards from the speeding cycle, scaring
the horses and providing a richer fuel mixture.
The Sheltie was never put into full-scale production due to range problems,
and the fact that the antenna would tend to arc to ground when at full lean,
causing the motor to misfire, which made quite a mess. Also, as the
automobile became more popular, it became obvious that a fuel tank would
have to be fitted, and the methane burning motor replaced with a more
mundane fuel system. This proved disasterous in combination with the
resonant discharge of the antenna. The project was dropped in 1907.
Excerpted from the coffee-table book "The Middlin-Sizeable Book of Spagthorpe".
Dave Svoboda (svoboda@void.rtsg.mot.com) | "I just can't take
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!) | this weird shit
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!) | before breakfast!"
AMA 583905 DoD #0330 COG 939 (Chicago) | -- Evo Woman
===============================================================================
>From jeq 15 Mar 93 23:40:52 GMT
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Rejetting
Date: 15 Mar 93 23:40:52 GMT
In article <1993Mar11.055402.7082@elektro.cmhnet.org> charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org
(Charlie Smith) writes:
>In article carlp@frigg.isc-br.com
(Carl Paukstis) writes:
>>jeq@lachman.com (Jonathan E. Quist) writes:
>>
>>>davet@interceptor.cds.tek.com (Dave Tharp CDS) writes:
>>>> And what's a jetski anyway? I always thought it was a Polish
>>>>airliner.
>>
>>>Yes, and they're funny machines, too. All the seats, including the
..
>>>that the control systems suffered from inherent instability because
>>>of all the Poles in the right half-plane.
>>
..
>>Anyhow, this genre is particularly appropriate for the Spagthorpe thread.
>
>
>Uhhh! You mean, really mean, that Spagthorpe made an AIRPLANE?
I hadn't been aware of it, but I must sadly acknowledge that it's
probably true. Get out to a newstand, and look in the upper right corner
of the last page of this month's Popular Science (the one with a dismantled
hydrogen bomb on the cover). There, in all its glory, is a combination
of aircraft, motorcycle, and oxcart that could only have come from
the House of Spagthorpe. (I suspect that this one comes from the
mind of Ian Biggles, Baronet of Wibbledon. Biggles was a
nephew of Wembly, Lord Spagthorpe. [ObRoyalty - have we been getting the
titles backwards all this time? Ogrites?]) The photo is said to date
to 1918, so the time is about right.
Would anyone with a scanner care to add this photo to the rec.moto.spagthorpe
archives?
--
Jonathan E. Quist jeq@lachman.com Lachman Technology, Incorporated
DoD #094, KotPP '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep" Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From npet 16 Mar 93 16:15:58 GMT
From: npet@bnr.ca (Nick Pettefar)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Rejetting
Date: 16 Mar 93 16:15:58 GMT
Jonathan E. Quist, on the Mon, 15 Mar 1993 23:40:52 GMT wibbled:
: In an article, charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org (Charlie Smith) writes:
: >
: >Uhhh! You mean, really mean, that Spagthorpe made an AIRPLANE?
: I hadn't been aware of it, but I must sadly acknowledge that it's
: probably true. Get out to a newstand, and look in the upper right corner
: of the last page of this month's Popular Science (the one with a dismantled
: hydrogen bomb on the cover). There, in all its glory, is a combination
: of aircraft, motorcycle, and oxcart that could only have come from
: the House of Spagthorpe. (I suspect that this one comes from the
: mind of Ian Biggles, Baronet of Wibbledon. Biggles was a
: nephew of Wembly, Lord Spagthorpe. [ObRoyalty - have we been getting the
: titles backwards all this time? Ogrites?]) The photo is said to date
: to 1918, so the time is about right.
: Would anyone with a scanner care to add this photo to the rec.moto.spagthorpe
: archives?
: --
: Jonathan E. Quist jeq@lachman.com Lachman Technology, Incorporated
: DoD #094, KotPP '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep" Naperville, IL
: __ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
: \/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
That, my fine feathered friend, is the Spagthorpe Bird-Dog. It's
thanks to Lord Spagthorpe, (or Spaggy to his friends) that Britain was
able to develop the formidable aeroplanes necessary to defeat Jerry,
(The Hun or Le Boche) in the Second World War. Together with his
erstwhile but somewhat venal friend and relation, Squadron Leader
Bigglesworth DSC, LSM, RFC, DoD, DFC with three bars and VC, the fate
of the nation was spared.
I'm afraid that the we are a little short of photo-oil at the moment,
so scanning is impossible. I will give you a short description as
recounted to me by my grandfather, who worked on some parts of the
later engines for the Bird-Dog at the Rolls-Royce Derby Works:-
Many new ideas were given their first airing with the aid of the Bird-Dog.
It was more like a flying test-bed than an aeroplane, built using a new
construction system: Mechanical Engineered Cold-steel Constructions
for Aero-designs Needing Obfuscation, or M E C C Ad N O, for short.
The mainplane of the aircraft was designed to telescope in order for
the craft to be deployed on aircraft carriers and to be housed in
small hangars. This revolutionary system was the (now famous)
Plane-width Increase by Normalised Nickel Cables for Harmonised
Intrinsic Outspread, or Pw I N N O C H I O for short. When the Length
Yardage Increase via Negative Gain was increased, (LYIvNG) the PwINNOCHIO
system was employed, causing the Peripheral Aircraft, or PAP to increase
considerably in length.
Other new ideas included the engine system, the World's very first jet
propulsion system. Air was drawn in, negatively charged via a
powerful but compact deisel powered Van der Graf generator,
electrically propelled to the rear of the engine via hundreds of small
positively charged nylon combs, directed into a myriad of small tubes
and directed out of the rear edge of the mainplane. The last few
inches of the tubes were soft and each one had a small loop of
aircraft control wire around it. The other ends of these control
cables was routed up into the pilot's cabin and connected to a central
control which mysteriously bore great resemblance to the handlebars
from the Spagthorpe Wardog. By moving the controls, the pilot closed
and opened various engine tubes and so controlled the direction and
velocity of the craft. This obviated the need for a rudder, ailerons,
elevators and flaps. The aircraft was thus made bidirectional, with a
small set of fins at each end and two pilots sitting back to back.
Dogfights with the Bird-Dog always lead to victory for the Allies but,
if other Allied aircraft were involved, a certain amount of confusion
also.
Because of the various state of aircraft fields at that time, normal wheels
were ruled out and a new landing setup was devised, the dynamic Lines
Extending to the Ground System, or dL E G S, for short. These would
`run' from one end of the craft's length to the other, causing what
later observer's would come to know as the `Anthill Mob' effect. The
initial test pilot, a certain Richard D'Astard-Lee was always cursing
the landing system, attempting to urge the system to higher speeds via
vocal cajoling and threats.
I'd say more for now, but I've run out of punch cards.
Toodle pip!
--
Nick (the Jolly Old Chap Biker) DoD 1069 Concise Oxford dLEGS
M'Lud. 0) \
[]\_ \ (this sig is a mess, suggestions?)
___[}__/-]
/----\\ =/\_ ____________________________________/
OO00oo...=/_\_#|[_]/\\ / Nick Pettefar, Contractor@Large.
\_________\_/______\_/__________________/| Currently incarcerated at BNR,
Like so many Americans, she was trying | Maidenhead, The United Kingdom.
to construct a life that made sense | npet@bnr.ca '86 BMW K100RS "Kay"
from things she found in gift shops. |
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. | Pres. PBWASOH(UK) BS 0002
\_______________________________________/ \___________________________________/
All opinions expressed by the entity Nick Pettefar are just that, his
opinions. The fool upon the stage is having his hour, dust awaits...
\_____________________________________________________________________________/
===============================================================================
>From chrispi 16 Mar 93 11:06:22 GMT
From: chrispi@microsoft.com (Chris Pirih)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Slick 50 and wet clutch
Date: 16 Mar 93 11:06:22 GMT
In rec.motorcycles markk@tcs.com (Mark Kromer) writes:
;"It's got a single overhead crankshaft, oil injected brake rotors and
;a six speed, bevel drive headlight!"
That'd be the Spagthorpe Airedale. The overhead crankshaft
and bevel drive headlight were nothing special even at the
time it was designed (except that four speed headlights were
much more common), but the oil injected brakes were quite a
breakthrough. I mean that literally. Many solid objects
were broken through by Airedale pilots when their Lucas oil
injector solenoids spontaneously failed. The brake system
was, unfortunately, way ahead of its time. In fact, I think
the day of oil injected brake rotors is still far off, thank
god.
My uncle had one of these bikes, and I remember well the
yearly headlight-spline-lubing ritual. I could say that's
what got me into motorcycles in the first place, though
I'd be lying if I did.
---
chris
===============================================================================
>From irwin 17 Mar 93 18:53:18 GMT
From: irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Irwin Arnstein)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Slick 50 and wet clutch
Keywords: slick, clutch, help, clueless
Message-ID:
Date: 17 Mar 93 18:53:18 GMT
References: <1993Mar16.003808.28352@tcsi.com>
<1993Mar16.110622.19620@microsoft.com>
Organization: CompuTrac Inc., Richardson TX
Lines: 28
In article <1993Mar16.110622.19620@microsoft.com> chrispi@microsoft.com
(Chris Pirih)
writes:
>In rec.motorcycles markk@tcs.com (Mark Kromer) writes:
>;"It's got a single overhead crankshaft, oil injected brake rotors and
>;a six speed, bevel drive headlight!"
>
>That'd be the Spagthorpe Airedale. The overhead crankshaft
>and bevel drive headlight were nothing special even at the
>time it was designed (except that four speed headlights were
>much more common), but the oil injected brakes were quite a
>breakthrough. I mean that literally. Many solid objects
>were broken through by Airedale pilots when their Lucas oil
>injector solenoids spontaneously failed. The brake system
>was, unfortunately, way ahead of its time. In fact, I think
>the day of oil injected brake rotors is still far off, thank
>god.
>
Since the Airedale was nuclear powered, this caused even bigger
problems.
Spagthorpe Airedales have been traced to 3 unexplained atomic
explosions in Pakistan previously thought to be the Pakistan
bomb under development.
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tuba" (Irwin) "I honk therefore I am" CompuTrac-Richardson,Tx
irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org DoD #0826 (R75/6)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
>From ranck 18 Mar 93 01:10:53 GMT
From: ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu (Wm. L. Ranck)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Rejetting
Date: 18 Mar 93 01:10:53 GMT
Charlie Smith (charlie@elektro.cmhnet.org) wrote:
: >
: >Anyhow, this genre is particularly appropriate for the Spagthorpe thread.
:
: Uhhh! You mean, really mean, that Spagthorpe made an AIRPLANE?
Well, not exactly an airplane. There was that Spagthorpe Engineering
contract with the British government in the mid-1960s to develop
a reusable space shuttle type vehichle. Project Sirius it was called.
I'll have to do some research on the details. I think it incorporated
a sodium bicarbonate / water injection system for reaction thrusters.
--
*******************************************************************************
* Bill Ranck ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu *
* Computing Center at Virginia Tech, not Vermont ----------------------^^ *
*******************************************************************************
===============================================================================
>From robd 23 Mar 93 20:39:01 GMT
From: robd@spagthorpe.archive.com
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: insect impacts
Date: 23 Mar 93 20:39:01 GMT
In article ,
prange@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Henry Prange) writes:
> Subject: insect impacts
> Now, all this made me wonder, among those of you who ride without helmets, or
> worse, without eye protection, how do you deal with impacts? I am always
> amazed to see someone cruising down the road, shirtless, helmetless,
goggleless
You're observation regarding proper eye protection during operation of the
motocycle brings back a tragic memory. It was in the fall of 1942 in
Worchestershire. Sir Alec Spagthorpe, while on a high speed return trip
from gathering intelligence information regarding the new pulsed liquid
fueled BOMARC, was motoring on his Spagthorpe Dalmation(in pre-war camo)
when he was struck by a large Highland Beetle traveling in the opposite
direction. As was his custom, Sir Alec was wearing only the customary leather
flight helmet and no goggles. The Highland Beetle was driven squarely through
Sir Alecs left eye, penetrating his brain and killing him instantly.
Unfortunately, inertia carried Sir Alec for a full kilometer past the
point of impact, where he and his Dalmation became as one upon impacting
a Morris Minor parked in the driveway of one Miss Margaret Donaldson, thus
continuing the tragic curse of the name Spagthorpe.
===============================================================================
>From bradl 23 Mar 93 23:46:20 GMT
From: bradl@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Bandwidth B. Wasted)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: insect impacts
Date: 23 Mar 93 23:46:20 GMT
In article <2943@shaman.wv.tek.com> robd@orca.wv.tek.com writes:
>
[...]
>Worchestershire. Sir Alec Spagthorpe, while on a high speed return trip
>from gathering intelligence information regarding the new pulsed liquid
>fueled BOMARC, was motoring on his Spagthorpe Dalmation(in pre-war camo)
>when he was struck by a large Highland Beetle traveling in the opposite
>direction. As was his custom, Sir Alec was wearing only the customary leather
[...]
>continuing the tragic curse of the name Spagthorpe.
I heard it was a turnip. He tried to countersteer to avoid it, but the
Dalmation had that experimental shaft drive unit installed.
The beet goes on...
--
Brad LaBroad
"I meant to do that." DoD#389 bradl@tekig5.pen.tek.com
===============================================================================
>From jeq 26 Mar 93 15:59:01 GMT
From: jeq@lachman.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: 90 degree V-Twins
Date: 26 Mar 93 15:59:01 GMT
In article <733079677snz@morgan.demon.co.uk> tony@morgan.demon.co.uk writes:
>In article <1993Mar25.130231.24905@ncsa.uiuc.edu>
heathman@ncsa.uiuc.edu
writes:
>
>> OK, I know it's bad form to post something that is anything more than
>>tangentially related to motorcycles on rec.moto, but I have a question.
>> In magazine articles etc., I have always heard that a 90 degree V-twin
>>has perfect primary balance. This does not make sense to me. On a Ducati,
>>for example, you have one piston reciprocating vertically and another
>>horizontally. How can the horizontal piston cancel the imbalance of the
>>vertical piston? Any coherent explanation would be appreciated.
>
>Well, its the counterbalance weights on the crankshaft. In a vertical engine,
>you can perfectly balance the reciprocating mass of the piston/con-rod only
>at the expense of introducing an equal horizontal out of balance. (the
>vertical component is balances by the piston, but the horizontal component as
>the weights go across is out of balance.) If you add a second piston in a
>plane at right angles to the first, it balances the horizontal shake induced
>by making the crankshaft balance weights big enough to counter the vertical
>shake caused by the vertical piston. Is that clear?
Okay, what about a vertical twin? (Actually, "inline twin" - whether it's
vertical, horizontal, or implosional doesn't really matter.) If you time
the pistons 180 degrees apart, then you just have a rocking couple to
deal with. (Of course, the firing now becomes assymetrical....)
How about an inline triple, with the center piston sized to have twice
the mass of the outer two?
(And then, of course, there's the Spagthorpe C-Twin - two concentric
cylinders of equal mass and displacement. The outer cylinder had dual
connecting rods, and inner rings that were a bitch to change.)
--
Jonathan E. Quist jeq@lachman.com Lachman Technology, Incorporated
DoD #094, KotPP '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep" Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From jeq 29 Mar 93 19:19:00 GMT
From: jeq@lachman.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Replacing 85mph speedo?
Date: 29 Mar 93 19:19:00 GMT
In article speedy@engr.latech.edu
(Speedy Mercer) writes:
>Example: With a Spagthorpe Wolverine with the optional 45" diamater rear
> tire and the .45 to 1 seven speed transmission with the 9.45 to
> 1 planetary rear drive, at 5000 R.P.M. I would be going 157.47
> M.P.H..
Is that above ground, or with burrowing mode engaged?
--
Jonathan E. Quist jeq@lachman.com Lachman Technology, Incorporated
DoD #094, KotPP, KotCF '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep" Naperville, IL
__ There's nothing quite like the pitter-patter of little feet,
\/ followed by the words "Daddy! Yay!"
===============================================================================
>From npet 30 Mar 93 14:15:07 GMT
Path: isc-br!olivea!uunet!pipex!bnr.co.uk!bmdhh130!npet
From: npet@bnr.ca (Nick Pettefar)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: 90 degree V-Twins
Date: 30 Mar 93 14:15:07 GMT
Jonathan E. Quist, on the Fri, 26 Mar 1993 15:59:01 GMT wibbled:
: (And then, of course, there's the Spagthorpe C-Twin - two concentric
: cylinders of equal mass and displacement. The outer cylinder had dual
: connecting rods, and inner rings that were a bitch to change.)
There was, of course, the Spagthorpe Wrestler engine, which was a
horizontally opposed twin having no crankshaft and a single rod
connecting the two pistons. Teeth on the top and bottom of this rod
drove gears which transmitted the motions to the gearbox:-
/~\
.____ \_/ ____.
| vvvvvvvvvvvvv |
| 0==================================o |
|____ vvvvvvvvvvvvv ____|
/~\
\_/
The pistons were lead weighted to provide sufficient momentum to
complete the complex Three-And-A-Half-With-A-Wiggly-Bit-Thrown-In-For
-Good-Measure stroke system that was the masterstroke behind this engine.
The only drawback to this design was that occasionally the engine revs
would match the sympathetic resonance of the machine (strict luggage
loading instructions had to be adhered to for warranty purposes) and
the bike would disintegrate spectacularly in an explosion of motorbike
and human parts. If you were strong and agile enough, you could
disperse the standing waves and prevent this unfortunate incident.
Hence the name Wrestler.
--
Nick (the Agile and Strong Biker) DoD 1069 Concise Oxford Pistons
M'Lud.
___ ___ ___ ___
{"_"} {"_"} {"_"} {"_"} Nick Pettefar, Contractor@Large.
' ` ` ' ' ` ` ' Currently incarcerated at BNR,
___ ___ ___ ___ Maidenhead, The United Kingdom.
|"_"| |"_"| |"_"| |"_"| npet@bnr.ca '86 BMW K100RS "Kay"
` ' ' ` ` ' ' ` Pres. PBWASOH(UK), BS 0002
.
_ _ _ __ .
/ ~ ~~\ | / ~~ \
|_______| [_______|
_:_
|___|
===============================================================================
>From bradw 7 Apr 93 16:48:14 GMT
From: bradw@Newbridge.COM (Brad Warkentin)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Countersteering_FAQ please post
Date: 7 Apr 93 16:48:14 GMT
C70A000 [who needsa a name when a number will do] writes:
> Eric@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (93CBR900RR) writes:
>>Would someone please post the countersteering FAQ...i am having this awful
>>time debating with someone on why i push the right handle of my motorcycle
>>foward when i am turning left...and i can't explain (well at least) why this
>>happens...please help...post the faq...i need to convert him.
>
> Ummm, if you push on the right handle of your bike while at speed and
>your bike turns left, methinks your bike has a problem. When I do it
>on MY bike, I turn right. No wonder you need that FAQ. If I had it
>I'd send it.
Gasp... could it be... [quick review of the facts... push right, turn left]
yup it must be... the rare and infinately collectable Spagthorpe QX17 (never
was given a proper name as they never got out of the experimental stage. God
knows they tried, what with 17 prototypes before abandoning the idea) with the
unique double linked reversed steering, for those who wanted bikes to steer
like cars damnit....
bj...bradw@Newbridge.com... no .sig no .plan no.clue >> DoD# 255 <<
===============================================================================
>From mwoodd 8 Apr 93 05:27:19 GMT
From: mwoodd@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: Countersteering_FAQ please post
Date: 8 Apr 93 05:27:19 GMT
In article <08APR93.02259073.0035@UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA>, C70A000
writes:
> In article <1993Apr7.164814.14012@Newbridge.COM> bradw@Newbridge.COM
(Brad Warkentin)
writes:
>>C70A000 [who needsa a name when a number will do] writes:
>>> Eric@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (93CBR900RR) writes:
>>>>Would someone please post the countersteering FAQ...i am having this awful
>>>>time debating with someone on why i push the right handle of my motorcycle
>>>>foward when i am turning left...and i can't explain (well at least) why this
>>>>happens...please help...post the faq...i need to convert him.
>>>
>>> Ummm, if you push on the right handle of your bike while at speed and
>>>your bike turns left, methinks your bike has a problem. When I do it
>>>on MY bike, I turn right. No wonder you need that FAQ. If I had it
>>>I'd send it.
>>
>>Gasp... could it be... [quick review of the facts... push right, turn left]
>>yup it must be... the rare and infinately collectable Spagthorpe QX17 (never
>>was given a proper name as they never got out of the experimental stage. God
>>knows they tried, what with 17 prototypes before abandoning the idea) with the
>>unique double linked reversed steering, for those who wanted bikes to steer
>>like cars damnit....
>
> Quite an innovative company, this Spagthorpe marque. I heard a
> rumour that they combined the QX17 with a hub steering forked rear end.
> With practice, you could do donuts while driving down the highway as
> long as you didn't get dizzy...
This is correct, and with practise, you could ride at close to 200 km/h
backwards - they worked hard on developing special mirrors to give a
wide field of view.
Aren't they supposed to have developed the first ride-by-wire control system?
Mike Woodd
(mwoodd@sol.cs.waikato.ac.nz)
===============================================================================
>From ryan_cousineau 19 Apr 93 19:04:00 GMT
From: ryan_cousineau@compdyn.questor.org (Ryan Cousineau)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Spagthorpe Viking
Date: 19 Apr 93 19:04:00 GMT
DS>From: viking@iastate.edu (Dan Sorenson)
DS>ryan_cousineau@compdyn.questor.org (Ryan Cousineau) writes:
DS>>Riding up the hill leading to my
DS>>house, I encountered a liver-and-white Springer Spaniel (no relation to
DS>>the Springer Softail, or the Springer Spagthorpe, a close relation to
DS>>the Spagthorpe Viking).
DS> I must have missed the article on the Spagthorpe Viking. Was
DS>that the one with the little illuminated Dragon's Head on the front
DS>fender, a style later copied by Indian, and the round side covers?
No. Not at all. The Viking was a trick little unit made way back when
(forties? fifties?) when Spag was trying to make a go of it in racing.
The first iteration (the Springer) was a boxer twin, very similar to Max
Friz's famous design, but with an overhead "point cam" (see below for
more on the valvetrain). The problem was that the thing had no ground
clearance whatsoever. The solution was to curve the cylinder bores, so
that the ground clearance was substantially increased:
==@== \=@=/
This is roughly the idea, except that the bores were gradually curved
around a radius, as the pistons were loath to make a sharp-angled turn
in the middle of their stroke. The engine also had curved connecting
rods to accomodate the stroke.
The engine stuck out so far because of its revolutionary (and still
unique) overhead cam system. Through the use of clever valve timing and
and extrordinarily trick valve linkage, only a single cam lobe was
required to drive both overhead valves.
Just as revolutionary was the hydraulic valve actuation, which used a
pressurized stream of oil to power the "waterwheel" which kept the lobe
spinning over. One side effect that required some rather brutal
engineering fixes was that until the engine's oil pressure came up to
normal, the engine's valve timing would be more or less random,
resulting in some impressive start-up valve damage. The solution was a
little hand crank that pressurized the cases before you started the
beast, remarkably similar to the system used in new Porsches to
pressurize the oil system before the car is started (the cage, however,
uses an electric oil pump. Wimps).
Despite this fix, the engine had a nasty propensity for explosively
firing its valves into the pistons when a cylinder would temporarily
lose a bit of oil pressure in a corner. The solution was to run even
higher oil pressures and change the gaskets and seals regularly. This
was feasible because it was a racing engine.
With just a single overhead lobe, and no pushrod/shaft/chain towers
because of the hydraulic system, the head of the engine came to an
almost perfect point:
/\
/()\ / \ / \ complexity)
| | | |
| |===| |
=0= From svoboda Fri, 23 Apr 1993 23:12:13 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: svoboda@rtsg.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Subject: Re: Countersteering sans Hands
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1993 23:12:13 GMT
In article <1993Apr22.005308.11779@cs.cornell.edu> karr@cs.cornell.edu
(David Karr)
writes:
|In article dagibbs@quantum.qnx.com
(David Gibbs) writes:
|>
|>Yes, even when steering no hands you do something quite similar
|>to countersteering. Basically to turn left, you to a quick wiggle
|>of the bike to the right first, causing a counteracting lean to
|>occur to the left.
|
|This sounds suspiciously like black magic to me. If by "quick wiggle
|to the right" you mean that the handlebars turn toward the right
|before turning to the left, what is the input to the steering
|mechanism that makes this happen in the absence of the old
|"shove-shove"?
Well, as many a bored bike tourer can tell you, the way to steer
sans hans is to push your body off to the side you want to lean.
Say you want to turn left. You push your body off to the left.
To do this, you have to push against something, and the only
thing to push against is the ground (through the bike). Well,
the apple guy (Wozniak? or was that Churchill?) says that the
ground will push you right back. So, you pushed yourself off to
the left by pushing on the ground to the right, and the ground
pushed back toward the left. Well, that push is on both wheels.
The rear wheel doesn't care (unless you have serious bearing
problems) (except of course on the Spagthorpe Dragonfly, which
had the revolutionary countersteering-contra-shaft-drive rear end),
but the front wheel has trail. If the ground pushes the front wheel
toward the left at the contact patch, the trail will cause the
wheel to turn to the right. Hey, there we are. No-hands counter-
steering.
Dave Svoboda (svoboda@void.rtsg.mot.com) | "I'm getting tired of
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!) | beating you up, Dave.
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!) | You never learn."
AMA 583905 DoD #0330 COG 939 (Chicago) | -- Beth "Bruiser" Dixon
===============================================================================
>From jlevine Mon, 26 Apr 93 19:14:26 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: jlevine@rd.hydro.on.ca (Jody Levine)
Subject: Re: Zeno's Countersteering Paradox Unveiled!!!
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 93 19:14:26 GMT
In article
Stafford@Vax2.Winona.MSUS.Edu (John Stafford) writes:
>In article <1993Apr26.002631.1@acfcluster.nyu.edu>,
>mullignj@acfcluster.nyu.edu wrote:
>>
>>[...] Therefore, there is a point
>> in time when even though my front wheel is turned to the right
>> I must be going straight ahead (the point when I go from the right
>> turn to the left). [...]
>
> What you are trying to describe is that transition point where
> the front wheel actually reverses direction; turns backwards.
The thing is, not all bikes can do it. This was one of the innovations
of the Spagthorpe Poodle which used this new type of braking system that
didn't need rotors or drums. It was very light, and so effective in
scrubbing off speed that Julian's cousin Nigel, who enjoyed braking late
into corners, was going to campaign a modified Poodle in the Isle of Man
TT. This was to be the world debut of the new brakes, and rumours
surrounding the racing prototype said that Nigel and his Poodle were a
shoo-in for the podium. Disaster struck a week before the race when Nigel
upended the bike while demonstrating his famous "stop on a farthing"
manoeuvre at the edge of the cliffs of Dover. He went over the handlebars
and plunged into the sea, never to be seen again. Some say that he lived
and is now working as a part time consultant for Ducati, and that he has
changed his riding style significantly. The new brakes never appeared on
a production model.
I've bike like | Jody Levine DoD #275 kV
got a you can if you -PF | Jody.P.Levine@hydro.on.ca
ride it | Toronto, Ontario, Canada
===============================================================================
>From irwin Mon, 26 Apr 1993 16:00:32 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
From: irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Irwin Arnstein)
Subject: Re: Dogs vs. Bikes
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1993 16:00:32 GMT
Of course the Spagthorpe Airdale (the nueclear powered job) was never
chased by any member of the K-9 set. Turns out that when the bike came
down the road most dogs began howling, drooling, foaming, and running
around in circles yapping.
The bike is still outlawed in most nueclear free countries...
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tuba" (Irwin) "I honk therefore I am" CompuTrac-Richardson,Tx
irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org DoD #0826 (R75/6) (Ducati 900GTS)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Robert L. Armitage"
Subject: Re: Belt Drives, What happened to them?
Date: Thu, 6 May 1993 10:01:15 -0400
In a previous article, kmcintyr@boi.hp.com (Kevin McIntyre) says:
>
>I've seen a few belt-driven cycles lately and was wondering,
>what happened to them? Were they unreliable or costly or both?
>I figure they just weren't strong enough but, then again,
>I'm only guessing.
It's a well known fact that the infamous lawsuit Cranobble vs. Spagthorpe
began the eventual bankruptcy of the company all over a broken belt.
The Spagthorpe Puppy (a beginners model, known for leaking at inopportune
moments) was equipped with an early belt drive, which allegedly broke
loose. Mrs. Cranobble was never to play the piano agin....
The multi-million dollar lawsuit began the end of the Spagthorpe line..
A ruefull day in history,
So ignoreed these 'horsepower limited' lies about belts.... IT's all a
liability issue...
--Buz...
#0076
"Have a lawyer for lunch." --Hannibal Lector
From: nelson@seahunt.imat.com (Michael Nelson)
Subject: Re: Cross-threaded sparkplug - how screwed am I?
Date: Thu, 6 May 1993 16:50:53 GMT
In article viking@iastate.edu
(Dan Sorenson)
writes:
> Get the metal out of the motor when you're done with this.
>Would you like to see what your cylinder walls will look like if
>you leave thread chunkies inside the cylinder? Believe me, it's
>not a pretty sight. I suggest a shop-vac to suck out most of
>them, and a magnet inserted into the cylinder to get the remainder.
Hmmm. I don't remember which bike we're talking about
here, but most modern engines have aluminum cylinder
heads. You could fish that magnet around in there for a
long time without picking up any thread particles.
Unless, of course, you have one of the aluminum magnets
that was included in the toolkit of the Spagthorpe
Veeblefetzer.
Michael
--
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Michael Nelson 1993 CBR900RR |
| Internet: nelson@seahunt.imat.com Dod #0735 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
From: speedy@engr.latech.edu (Speedy Mercer)
Subject: Re: Cross-threaded sparkplug - how screwed am I?
Date: Thu, 6 May 1993 17:59:03 GMT
In article nelson@seahunt.imat.com
(Michael Nelson)
writes:
> Unless, of course, you have one of the aluminum magnets
> that was included in the toolkit of the Spagthorpe
> Veeblefetzer. ^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^^^
WRONG! This was not a true Spagthorpe but a one-of custom version of the
Spagthorpe Asthmahound Chihuahua built by the late Fester Bestertester at
the Martin plant. The original was built entirely from "pot-metal" and did
not come with the now infamous aluminum magnet that was used to remove the
cir-clip from the primary drive chain.
----===== DoD #8177 = Technician(Dr. Speed) .NOT. Student =====----
"I'm the one that has to die when it's time for me to die,"
"so let me live my life, the way I want to."
Jimi Hendrix
From: ez006683@othello.ucdavis.edu (Daniel D. Todd)
Subject: Re: Cross-threaded sparkplug - how screwed am I?
Date: Mon, 10 May 1993 23:48:07 GMT
irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Irwin Arnstein) writes:
: In article speedy@engr.latech.edu
(Speedy Mercer) writes:
: >In article nelson@seahunt.imat.com
(Michael Nelson)
writes:
: >
: >> Unless, of course, you have one of the aluminum magnets
: >> that was included in the toolkit of the Spagthorpe
: >> Veeblefetzer. ^^^^^^^^^^
: > ^^^^^^^^^^^^
: >WRONG! This was not a true Spagthorpe but a one-of custom version of the
: >Spagthorpe Asthmahound Chihuahua built by the late Fester Bestertester at
: >the Martin plant. The original was built entirely from "pot-metal" and did
: >not come with the now infamous aluminum magnet that was used to remove the
: >cir-clip from the primary drive chain.
: >
: > ----===== DoD #8177 = Technician(Dr. Speed) .NOT. Student =====----
: >
: > "I'm the one that has to die when it's time for me to die,"
: > "so let me live my life, the way I want to."
: > Jimi Hendrix
: Didn't the Spagthorp(E) Asthahound Chihuahua have diesel/electric traction
: drive to pull its converted Pullman Heavyweight 15-1 sleeper/compartment
: side-car. I hear it's 88 ft length made turns difficult, but it was
: very stable as the side-car weighed 120,000 lbs...
: --
: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
: "Tuba" (Irwin) "I honk therefore I am" CompuTrac-Richardson,Tx
: irwin@cmptrc.lonestar.org DoD #0826 (R75/6) (Ducati 900GTS)
: -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bitchin' dude is there a Mil' version I can buy new in the box for
about $100? That is the one with reverse Right?
Dan
--
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Daniel D. Todd Packet: KC6UUD@WA6RDH.#nocal.ca.usa *
* Internet: DDTODD@ucdavis.edu *
* Snail Mail: 1750 Hanover #102 *
* Davis CA 95616 *
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
* I do not speak for the University of California.... *
* and it sure as hell doesn't speak for me!! *
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
===============================================================================
Path: urvile.msus.edu!newsdist.tc.umn.edu!umn.edu!lynx.unm.edu!jobone!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!ftpbox!mothost!delphinium.cig.mot.com!spock!svoboda
From: svoboda@spock.cig.mot.com (David Svoboda)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles
Subject: Re: BMW Boxer?
Date: 11 Jan 1995 02:05:09 GMT
Organization: Cellular Infrastructure Group, Motorola
Lines: 112
Message-ID: <3evecl$n50@delphinium.cig.mot.com>
References: <3eleh8$45a@ns.us.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: spock.rtsg.mot.com
In article <3eleh8$45a@ns.us.net>, Bob Stoll wrote:
| OK, call me a neophyte if you will, but would someone please explain to me what
|a BMW "Boxer" is? Thanks.
Some time ago, Kieth Gawlik asked the same question, and I answered thus:
=========================================================================
In article ,
Keith Michael Gawlik wrote:
|This is a rather silly question.
Nonsense. No question steeped in such historical significance could
possibly be "silly".
|Why are BMW air-cooled engines called "boxers"?
Well, you see, the name comes from the fact that all BMW bikes (with the
exception of that current abomination) use shaft-drive for turning the
rear-wheel.
How does a shaft-drive imply the name "boxer", you ask? Well, the VERY
first shaft-drive bike was of course the Spagthorpe Boxer, an
experimental design of the earlier years of the company. And that
motorcycle has quite the history, quite the history.
The best theory of the time said that if you were to use longitudinal
crankshafts (the Spag models of that time were all opposed-triples, so
had two cranks) with a shaft-drive turning in the same direction, the
motorcycle would be wheelie-unstable. That is, under strong application
of counter-steering, along with the requisite roll-on throttle, would
produce an uncontrollably violent wheelie. (The theory is quite
complicated; suffice to say that the waffle-cone had not yet been invented.)
Well, Lord Julian and his trusty engineers knew a seductive challenge when
they saw one, and rose to the occasion. They invented the wheelie bar, but
not like the ones we have now for drag-racers. No, their wheelie bar
consisted of a bicycle wheel mounted to the back of the bike, barely
touching the ground, such that when a wheelie occurred and the bicycle wheel
was pushed upward against a spring, it would pull in the clutch
proportionally, thereby smoothly keeping wheelie-equalibrium. (This
design was so unquestionably effective that you still see it in
automotive testing grounds to this day.) This wheelie-stopper system was
necessary because such a system could respond with super-human speed, to
counteract the incredibly instant loops that would otherwise inescapably
result.
So, the Spagthorpe Experimental Model 105nSD was created. First ride was
on the secret Scroddum-Srattche Proving Grounds. The engine was started,
and with a staccatto bark the machine took off. First turn, the pilot
applied a strong counter-steer, rolled on the throttle....and crashed.
The pilot didn't have a clear picture of what happened, or a clear picture
of much of anything. He was bruised and bleeding, but only in the
facial area. Hmmm. They replayed it on their slow-motion moving-picture
device the next day. It seems that the wheelie device worked admirably
except for a little feedback oscillation problem; the front wheel popped
up, and just before it looped, the clutch disengaged and it lowered back
down. Unfortunately, the pilot couldn't quite get out of the way of the
rising instrument cluster, so recieved a solid thwack, right in the face.
Of course, he was still holding the throttle open, and the
countersteering force, so as soon as the clutch re-engaged, WHAP, and
again, WHAP, and WHAP and WHAP WHAP WHAP! Faster than the eye could see,
the pilot was beat about the head and face until unconscious, and then
lost control and crashed.
Coincidentally at that point, the Spagthorpe Testriding Union went on
strike. So, Lord Julian, still needing to test his concept, went to the
local college and recruited the toughest young men they had to offer:
their amateur fighting club. On them, the facial bruises and lacerations
were not even a concern, and Lord Julian was able to soon find the
correct feedback settings, finish the research, and from that time forward,
in honor of the valient college men who came through in a pinch, the
Spagthorpe Experimental Model 105nSD was called the Spagthorpe Boxer.
A supercharged version of the Boxer showed up for much touted race on
a quaint little island just offshore, but unfortunately the entire race
bike and equipment wagon was stolen just before the race started. The
culprit was never found. Lord Julian doggedly put the entire ugly
incident behind him and went on to his next project; the famous
Spagthorpe Rottweiler.
Incidentally, rumor has it that one of the striking test riders was at
that time dating a young woman, a lovely German girl by the name of
Mercedes (last name was lost to history). Now, I certainly would never
want to accuse a fine company of anything untoward, but coincidentally a
few years after the unfortunate Incident on the Isle, an upstart company
in Germany began manufacuring their own version of the "Boxer", except
they carefully limited the engine output and frame design, such that it
was absolutely impossible to countersteer, thus eliminating the danger of
wheelies, and relegating acceleration and turning performance to somewhat
lackluster proportions in the process. To this day these design
compromises have made all shaft-driven motorcycles impervious to
countersteering or wheelies, and has radically limited the performance of
these cycles, even though the compromise is completely unnecessary with
transeversely mounted engines. It's a gray-area in motorcycle design,
you see, and no modern company will do such testing, as they do not have
the committment, determination, or sheer gall of Lord Julian Spagthorpe.
So, I hope that sufficiently answered your question about "Boxers".
========================================================================
Dave Svoboda (svoboda@cig.mot.com) | I think God's got a sick
90 Concours 1000 (Mmmmmmmmmm!) | sense of humor, and when
84 RZ 350 (Ring Ding) (Woops!) | I die, I expect to find
78 CB400T Hawk (Baby Honda) | Him laughing...
83 IT 490 (The Beast) |
AMA 583905 DoD #0330 COG 939 (Chicago) | - Depeche Mode